4 including local journalist arrested at Bentiu POC by SPLA-IO elements  

RUBKONA, OCTOBER 19, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – At least four civilians including a local journalist were arrested on Wednesday morning at Bentiu POC in Rubkona by security elements belonging to the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), residents and a representative of South Sudan’s Journalists body say.

Chondok Stephen, Coordinator of the Union of Journalist of South Sudan (UJOSS) in Unity State, told Sudans Post that William Kuol Makuar, a journalist who had worked with Kondial 97.2 FM inside the Bentiu POC was arrested on the claim that he was a soldier in the SPLA-IO.

“Yesterday at around 4:00PM, our Union member, Mr. Kuol Makuar was accused by the SPLA-IO of being a soldier before and during the crisis. He was arrested at sector two market and was taken to sector one base where joint police force is [located] at the Bentiu IDP camp,” he said.

“We communicated with the Joint Police Commander Col. James Tut Chol, and I also communicated with SPLA-IO members, and I have also communicated with William himself. So, what I have found from the three communications is that Kuol was arrested. It was SPLA-IO saying that they were looking for their members who deserted military barracks since 2014, 2016 and up to now,” he added.

Stephen however said that when he reached out to Kuol, he was told by the journalist that he was a soldier before South Sudan’s independence and then left the military following the outbreak of war in December 2014 to work as a journalist.

“They said Mr. Kuol Makuar who is also a former Kondial FM reporter is a soldier in 2014 and 2016 during the crisis and deserted the army,” he said.

“But when we go to Kuol, he said he was a soldier before South Sudan independence and after South Sudan independence. But during the crisis, he deserted the military and became a civilian where he became a journalist,” he added.

He said that Kuol has been partially released as his identification documents are still being held by the SPLA.

“That is the information but by now, according to Kuol, he has been released by the SPLA-IO he was released but still some IDs are still with them until they solve out this issue.  Now Kuol is at home. He has been released but not fully released,” he said.

“He was arrested at 4:00PM at sector two market and take to sector one gate at 5:00PM. He is detained for 18 hours because he was released at 9:00AM this morning,” he added.

3 other civilians arrested

In a separate incident, the same SPLA-IO forces arrested three other civilians at the Bentiu POC, according to locals. They were arrested at dawn on Wednesday on the same claim that they were working as soldiers before the signing of the revitalized peace agreement.

“They were also arrested here inside the POC. You know after the peacekeepers pulled out of the UN POC, the people giving security to what is now an IDP camp are joint SPLA-IO and SSPDF police units and they cooperate among themselves when they arrest people,” one IDP camp resident told Sudans Post in Rubkona.

“We heard that it is a county-wide campaign by the SPLA-IO because soldiers have deserted Kaljak because of lack of food and medicine have left the military. So, now they are coming to get them out of the camp even those who don’t want to be in the military,” said another community leader.