11 South Sudanese students released after detention by Ugandan police

KAMPALA – Eleven South Sudanese students were detained by Ugandan authorities on Friday evening, February 2nd, according to Mahoth Rong Chieng, President of the South Sudan Student’s Union in Uganda.

He told Sudans Post on Sunday that the students were arrested at a gym during a workout session, along with four Eritrean students.

“They were arrested at a place called Kasanga in Kampala on Friday evening,” Chieng said. “There were 15 students in total, 11 from South Sudan and 4 from Eritrea.”

He clarified that the arresting officers were Ugandan police in uniform and that the students were taken to a local police station. “A total of 11 South Sudanese were detained, including both girls and boys,” he added.

Thankfully, the students were released the following afternoon. “All of them were released yesterday,” Chieng reported. “The first four released were Eritrean, while the 11 South Sudanese remained in custody before being released later in the afternoon.”

Chieng explained that the students were simply exercising at a gym near the International University of East Africa (IUEA) in Kansanga when they were approached by officers.

“The police, accompanied by Ugandan immigration officials, started asking the students for their immigration documents,” he said.

“The students explained that they had left their documents at home as they only came for their gym session,” Chieng continued.

“However, the officers put them on a bus and took them to a nearby police station. Later that night, they were transferred to another detention facility where they spent the night,” he added.

According to Chieng, the intervention of the South Sudanese embassy led to the students’ release on Saturday.

“With pressure from our embassy, our 11 students were finally released around afternoon hours,” he concluded.