South Sudan armed opposition calls on gov’t to release senior official’s son

August 27, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudanese armed opposition faction under the leadership of the designated first vice president, Riek Machar, has called on the government of president Salva Kiir to free a son of one of their senior officials who was abducted on Thursday morning in the national capital, Juba, by security operatives.

“We have learnt with disbelief that government security agents this morning arrested Godfrey Kenyi Mulla, son of Comrade Dr. Richard K. Mulla. He was picked from his work place at Kenyan Commercial Bank in Juba. We call on President Salva Kiir’s government to release him,” said Machar’s spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, in a statement he issued on Thursday.

“This is unbecoming. He shouldn’t be targeted simply because he is a son of a senior official of our Movement, even when a final peace agreement was signed by the President on Wednesday, 26 August,” he added.

He said higher authorities should intervene to give him back his freedom.

Godfrey, a 35-year old, has been working in the Kenya Commercial Bank for a number of years. His father Mulla, a renowned lawyer and former member of national parliament from Mundri county in Western Equatoria state, is currently the chairman of the national committee for justice in the armed opposition faction led by Machar.

(ST)