South Sudan’s immediate former finance minister, Dr. Bak Barnaba Chol, was arrested by security forces Friday night while allegedly attempting to flee to neighboring Uganda, according to security sources.
Chol was intercepted at approximately 8 p.m. in the border town of Nimule. Multiple security sources told Radio Tamazuj that he attempted to cross the border using an unofficial route on a motorcycle taxi, locally known as a bodaboda.
Footage circulating on social media shows the former minister with apparent bloodstains on his clothing following a pursuit by security forces.
In one video clip, Chol is heard pleading with security officers not to film him after being intercepted near the Elegu-Nimule border crossing. Photos from the scene also appear to show a large, undisclosed sum of U.S. currency seized during the arrest.
The detention comes a day after Chol handed over his office to the newly appointed minister, Salvatore Garang Mabiordit. President Salva Kiir dismissed Chol on Monday, ending a tenure that lasted just over three months.
A professor at the University of Juba, Chol had previously served as finance minister from August 2023 until March 2024.
While the government has not issued a formal statement, the arrest appears to be part of a widening crackdown on high-profile figures in the country’s finance and security sectors.
The former central bank governor, Moses Makur Deng Manguak, was placed under house arrest in Juba earlier this week. Former finance minister Dr. Marial Dongrin Ater was arrested in Rumbek on Thursday and flown to the capital.
Maj. Gen. Manasseh Machar Bol, a senior security official formerly stationed at the Ministry of Petroleum, was taken into custody earlier this week.
Deng Lual Wol, the former undersecretary at the Ministry of Petroleum, was reportedly detained Friday after reporting to the National Security Service for questioning.
The motive behind the crackdown remains unclear, though South Sudan has faced mounting economic pressure and increased scrutiny of its financial institutions.
South Sudan has long struggled with corruption and the mismanagement of public funds due to weak accountability mechanisms.