Suspected rebel spies detained in Jonglei village
February 25, 2015 (BOR) – Five men believed to be spies from the rebel side’s central command have been detained in Jonglei state’s Duk Poktap for more than a week now.
Security agents told Sudan Tribune that the five men had been observed in the area around Poktap near a settlement of displaced people late at night and leaving before dawn, triggering suspicions they may be rebel agents or spies.
“You cannot come here and escape unnoticed,” said one local security agent on condition of anonymity.
“I was told that about seven men had been sent by rebels to see the deployment of the forces in Poktap, check on our military strength and our plans and get feedback to their commanders in Lou Nuer,” he added, saying at least seven men had been under surveillance.
“I monitored them until I caught five of them,” he said.
In Poktap, displaced people from the Lou Nuer have been granted a place together with the residents of Duk county and are also receiving humanitarian assistance provided by both the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Catholic Relief Service (CRS).
Three of the men were reportedly detained after they sought accommodation with some relatives, with the remaining two caught the following day while attempting to sell cattle.
“We were told about their names and their military positions they held before we found them. When we arrested the first three, they told us that two of their men were in [the] business sector driving cattle to Twic East to see what is going on there,” the security agent said.
An officer from the military police who identified himself as Kuach-Kuach confirmed that the men are being held on suspicion of being spies, pending further investigations.
“Yes we have them in the cell. We have documented what they said, and another team would come to do another round of investigation that will lead to their release or detention,” he said.
During the primary and secondary investigations, the suspects appeared to have no knowledge about the state or the payam (district) that they came from.
When asked about their state, they told authorities they were from Nyundeng state, a named the White Army gave to replace the current Jonglei state earlier last year.
The suspects ware said to have accepted their participation in the rebellion, but denied accusations leveled at them by the South Sudanese army (SPLA) that they were acting as spies.
Requests by Sudan Tribune to interview the men were denied.
(ST)