![Emmanuel Monychol, the Editor-in-Chief of The Dawn Newspaper. [Photo Courtesy]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_3202.jpeg?resize=1092%2C600&quality=89&ssl=1)
JUBA – South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS) has arrested Emmanuel Monychol, editor-in-chief of The Dawn newspaper, a family member told Sudans Post on Thursday night.
The family member, who requested anonymity, said Monychol was detained at his office between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. local time by men in NSS uniforms.
“I can confirm that Emmanuel Monychol has been arrested. I was not at the scene, but the people who informed us of his arrest said he was in his office, and he was picked from there between 4:00PM and 5:00PM Juba time,” the family member said.
“As I speak to you, we haven’t yet confirmed where he is being held. If he is being held at the Blue House, the headquarters (of the NSS), or somewhere else. The last time he was briefly arrested he was kept there. But now the NSS has many detention facilities and we are not sure where he is being detained,” the family member added.
In an email to Sudans Post, civil society activist Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), condemned Monychol’s arrest and urged authorities to release him.
“CEPO strongly condemns the unlawful arrest of The Dawn newspaper editor, Mr. Emmanuel Monychol. The act of arrest without a warrant is a practice that is a general national crisis,” Yakani said.
“I am appealing to the authorities behind his unlawful arrest to ensure his safety and security,” the activist added.
The detention comes days after the NSS released nearly 20 political detainees following the replacement of Internal Security Bureau (ISB) Director General Akol Koor Kuc, under whose leadership the agency faced severe criticism for its human rights record.
Last week’s releases, which included activists like Morris Mabior, sparked cautious optimism that Akol’s removal might lead to reforms within the NSS.
However, Monychol’s arrest has cast doubt on those expectations, marking another troubling development about the notoriously security agency.
