South Sudan national security says detained Machar allies to be arranged in court

JUBA – South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS) confirmed on Saturday that several detained opposition figures from the main armed opposition SPLM/SPLA (IO) in Juba are suspected of involvement in clashes between government forces and the White Army in Upper Nile State’s Nasir County.

Speaking to journalists during a press conference in Juba, David John Kumuri, NSS Director of Public Relations and spokesperson, confirmed the arrests, dismissing claims that they were arbitrary or unlawful and said the detained officials will be arranged in the court of law.

“Undeniably, the NSS has arrested and detained several individuals believed to have verified links to the spiraling military confrontation that unfolded in Nasir, Ulang, and surrounding areas,” Kumuri told reporters.

He said the arrests followed an intelligence operation that gathered information from sources inside and outside the country. The security agency, he added, conducted thorough analysis and fact-checking before detaining the suspects.

While NSS did not disclose the number or identities of those arrested, Kumuri emphasized that further detentions were possible, as authorities sought to “uproot wrong elements” destabilizing the country.

“The NSS remains committed to safeguarding the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCISS),” he said, adding that the operation was not targeting individuals based on “regional, geographical, ethnic, or political connections.”

At least six high-ranking officials have reportedly been detained, including Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, who serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the acting Chief of Staff of the SPLA-IO.

The officers were arrested at Bilpam, the SSPDF headquarters in Juba, before being transferred to the Southern Military Command prison near the University of Juba where South Sudan’s civil war begun in December 2013.

Other opposition officials detained include Gen. Koang Gatkuoth Kerjiok, the Inspector General of the SSPDF, alongside Gen. Wesley Welebe, who serves as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Supply. Gen. Ashhab Khamis Fahal, the Assistant Chief of Staff for Moral Orientation, has also been taken into custody.

Gen. Garang Ayii Akol, the Director General of Procurement at the Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs, has been detained, as well as another representative of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), whose identity remains undisclosed.

The national petroleum minister Puot Kang Chuol was also arrested at his residence in Thongpiny. Meanwhile, the Minister of peacebuilding was briefly detained but was released the following morning.

The government has not formally announced the charges against those arrested individuals, but Kumuri cited provisions of the amended 2024 NSS Act, which grants security forces authority to detain individuals suspected of “espionage, sabotage, terrorism, or subversion.”

The arrests come amid rising political and security tensions, particularly in SPLM-IO-controlled states, including Western Equatoria, Western Bahr el Ghazal, and Upper Nile where there have been clashes between the SSPDF and local groups.

The SPLA-IO has voiced concern over what it described as a “massive deployment” of SSPDF forces near the residence of First Vice President Riek Machar, a key figure in the country’s fragile peace process.

Speaking to reporters in Juba on Wednesday, information minister and government spokesman Michael Makuei Lueth said those arrested had “conflicted with the law” but did not provide further details.

The NSS has assured the public that all necessary legal procedures will be followed, adding that investigations are ongoing and those found guilty will face prosecution.