South Sudan’s national Peacebuilding minister released
March 7, 2025 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s national Peacebuilding minister, Stephen Par Kuol has been released, a day after his arrest by national security operatives.
Puok Both Baluang, the acting press secretary in the office of South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar, announced the minister’s release in a statement on Friday.
“We would like to inform our members and the general public at large that Hon. Stephen Par Kuol, the National Minister of Peacebuilding, who was unlawfully detained yesterday along with a staff member from his office by the national security, was released this morning at 05:00am,” he posted on X.
The minister’s arrest came in the wake of the recent tension in Nasir County of Upper Nile State where the army has been battling the White Army, an armed youth group.
A number of senior armed opposition (SPLM-IO) officials and military officers have been arrested in relation to the clashes in Nasir, now controlled by the White Army. They include the Petroleum minister Puot Kang Chuol Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam who is the co-chair of the Joint Defense Board (JDB) as well as acting Chief of Staff of the SPLA-IO.
South Sudan’s Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth, said the senior SPLM/A-IO officials conflicted with the law.
“If anybody is arrested, it is for a reason. If you are in conflict with the law, it means you are accused of violating its provisions,” he told reporters on Thursday.
embassies and the European Union (EU) condemned the recent hostilities in Upper Nile State, urging all the parties involved to exercise restraint.
Similarly the regional bloc (IGAD) Executive Secretary, Dr. Workneh Gebeyeh called upon all parties to exercise maximum restraint, reaffirm their commitment to the peace agreement and prioritize dialogue and reconciliation as the only sustainable path to peace.
(ST)