Civil society leader flees into hiding as NSS intensifies hunt

BOR – South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS) has launched a heightened search for civil society leader Bol Deng Bol, accusing him of inciting protests in Jonglei state, according to a family member and colleagues.

Bol, chairperson of the rights group INTREPID South Sudan, went into hiding after the NSS abruptly closed the organization’s Bor office on Tuesday. A colleague speaking to Sudans Post on condition of anonymity revealed that the NSS is also interrogating and threatening Bol’s family members in an attempt to disclose his location.

“The search for him began immediately after the closure of the INTREPID office. They have subjected Bol’s family to interrogation and threatened them with arrest if they don’t reveal his whereabouts,” he said.

Bol, speaking by phone on Thursday from undisclosed location in South Sudan, confirmed that NSS agents have significantly expanded their search to encompass forests and fishing areas surrounding Bor.

“They’ve deployed personnel to even the most remote fishing areas, looking for me,” Bol said. “It’s clear their intention behind closing our office is to pressure me into surrendering.”

In a separate development, a source at Ecobank South Sudan corroborated receiving a directive from the NSS on Wednesday to freeze both Bol’s personal and INTREPID South Sudan’s organizational bank accounts.

These events come amidst reports of death threats targeting activist Edmund Yakani, executive director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO).

Yakani told Sudans Post in an interview yesterday that he and several CEPO members have been threatened following their criticism of the National Security Bill which was passed by the transitional parliament on Wednesday.

The legislation grants the NSS sweeping powers, including the ability to arrest and detain individuals, monitor communications, and conduct searches and seizures – all without obtaining a warrant from a judge.

Critics, including Yakani’s CEPO, argue that these provisions violate the country’s transitional constitution and raise serious concerns about potential human rights abuses.

Yakani recounted receiving a series of calls with foreign country codes believed to be from NSS agents.

He described three separate instances: a male caller with a Rwandan number (+250) at 9:15 am, a female caller with a Somali number (+252) at 9:30 am, and another call at 10:00 am with a Sudanese number (+249). According to Yakani, all three calls threatened violence and death.