Several officials who were detained for over a week by the SPLA-IO forces while on a peace mission in Mogok Payam of Ayod County, Jonglei state have been released.

The officials detained on January 24 included Ayod county executive director Juach Gathoth and the county SPLM party secretary-general, Tot Kai Teny.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, James Chuol Jiek, the Ayod County commissioner, said the officials were released on Wednesday after a delegation from Bor and Juba arrived in Mogok.

“Last week, I sent a delegation led by the county executive director on a peace mission to Mogok because there was tension over cattle rustling with our Nyirol neighbors,” Chuol said. “But as the delegation arrived there, they were detained by an SPLA-IO commander called Thomas Diang.”

He added, “There was no reason for their week-long detention and they were only later released following negotiations by a delegation from Juba and Bor.”

Tot Kai, one of the released officials called for an investigation into their detention.

“We were a delegation of 11 led by the county executive director, and included the county finance director plus three women representatives and then security guards. Our mission was to preach peace so that our youth do not revenge because of a cattle raid carried out by a youth group from Nyirol County on December 19,” he said. “However, on reaching, we were detained for almost nine days. We were not investigated and there was no reason for our arrest. So, we want an investigation into this incident.”

However, Lt. Col. Khor Nyang Mabor, the spokesperson for the SPLA-IO Sector 3 in Jonglei State, said no officials were arrested in Ayod.

“Those people moved from Ayod town to the area without communicating with our commander. After this message was intercepted, they were told to hold on because there was an ongoing youth mobilization and our leadership wants to stabilize the area first but they refused and came,” he said. “So, what happened was they were not arrested. There were at the compound of our commander for their safety because if anything was to happen to them we could have been held accountable since the area is under our control.”

Source: Radio Tamazuj