SPLA-IO general arrested in Ethiopia over Nasir violence

JUBA – A senior commander of South Sudan’s main armed opposition, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), was arrested in Ethiopia’s Gambella region on Saturday, opposition sources told Sudans Post on Sunday.

Lieutenant General Thok Chuol Luak, who commands the SPLA-IO’s Sector Three, was detained by Ethiopian authorities at the request of South Sudan’s military attaché in Gambella, according to two SPLA-IO sources.

The request was linked to alleged involvement in recent clashes in Nasir, Upper Nile State, between the military and a local armed youth group, the sources told Sudans Post.

“General Thok Chuol was arrested yesterday. He was detained along with some individuals, but they have since been released. As of now, he remains in custody,” one SPLA-IO source said.

“The person responsible for his detention is the South Sudanese military attaché in Gambella,” the source added.

The arrest comes amid growing tensions between the SPLA-IO and the government, with multiple opposition officers detained in recent weeks.

In Juba, security forces arrested several high-ranking SPLA-IO officials, including acting SPLA-IO chief of staff and deputy chief of defense forces of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces’ (SSPDF) General Gabriel Duop Lam.

General Duop was arrested last week at Bilpam, the SSPDF’s military headquarters, over alleged connections to deadly fighting between the White Army – an armed Nuer youth group – and the SSPDF in Nasir.

The clashes resulted in the killing of the SSPDF brigade commander in the area, escalating tensions between the SSPDF and the SPLA-IO.

The detentions of SPLA-IO officials in Juba have fueled fears of a widening crackdown on opposition figures within the security sector.

SPLA-IO officers have reported increased surveillance and harassment by security forces, including their peace partner, the SSPDF, and the National Security Service (NSS).

It remains unclear whether Ethiopian authorities plan to transfer General Thok Chuol to South Sudanese custody or if negotiations are underway for his release to the SPLA-IO.

The SPLM-IO leadership has yet to comment on the arrest, but the detentions are likely to add further strain to the fragile peace agreement between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar.