Warrap MPs, accused of sparking protests, released without charges

Governor Nyandeng Malek Diliec ordered the detention of Ariec Mayar Ariec of Kuac South and Abuna Amet Amet Kuol of Kuac North, acting on a gubernatorial arrest warrant issued on May 5. They were arrested on Friday, May 8.

Both were accused of fuelling protests among students and other citizens against the implementation of the South Sudan curriculum and rising prices.
 
We were finally released by 7:00 pm on Wednesday, May 13. The governor has intended to send us to hell but we were in heaven. Our security apparatus took good care of us. We could sleep on beds, eat our food of choice and were allowed to watch TV,” Ariec Mayar Ariec said after his release.

On Monday, a witness in Kuajok, who asked for anonymity, told The Niles: In the morning we found that all the residential roads and Kuajok town main streets were heavily deployed with security forces. This is because the state government fears that youth members have wanted to demonstrate in demand of the immediate release of Mayar and Abuna.”

According to the letter sent by the governor to the security office, Mayar was accused of being behind last week’s student demonstration in Kuajok secondary school that led to the closure of the school.

Abuna Amet, meanwhile, was accused by the governor of mobilising residents of Khartoum Jadid residential area to protest about the lack of commodities in the market. Nyandeng said that the two MPs are working to destabilise her government and to increase instability.

Mayar denied that they were behind any mobilisation of citizens or students for a protest. We do not organise protests. We openly discuss things in the parliament. We stand motions that are not good for our people and that is all.”

The two legislators were arrested but their constitutional immunities were not lifted, as required by law.

Warrap State Assembly had condemned the arrests and called for the immediate release of the law makers. The MPs say the procedures of the arrest were not constitutional.

Moses Madoot Dut Deng, the Speaker in Warrap State Parliament has confirmed that he had received a letter from Governor Nyandeng instructing him to lift the immunities of the MPs in question. However, Madoot said the two men were jailed before he could reply or discuss the letter.

Simon Yel Yel, a community youth member and a political commentator said he was outraged by the development. To me, the jailing of the only two community representatives in the parliament means the governor directly jailed the whole community,” he said.

He added: The Kuac community is a very tolerant and law-abiding society. That is why the issue is now in the hands of Kuac elders to investigate what is behind the arrest.”