South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
A prominent South Sudanese activist denied media reports on Wednesday claiming that Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol and Deputy Army Chief General Gabriel Duop Lam had been released from detention.
General Gabriel Duop Lam, the SPLA-IO chief of staff, and Minister Puot Kang Chol were arrested in March along with their bodyguards after a militia known as the White Army overran a garrison of government troops in Nasir County, Upper Nile, resulting in the death of its commanding officer, Gen. Majur Dak, and several soldiers.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO), stated that the key SPLM-IO officers had not been released but were instead moved from the detention of the National Security Service to a rented apartment, where they will remain under security watch as they await trial.
Yakani noted that both Puot Kang and Duop Lam briefly met Dr. Riek Machar on Tuesday before being taken to their new residence.
He urged South Sudanese in the diaspora to refrain from spreading false information.
“I would like to appeal to South Sudanese in the country and the diaspora to avoid investing time in manipulating public opinion by generating misinformation or fake news,” he said.
Yakani warned that spreading false information could lead to hate speech.
“Misinformation or fake news is a detrimental practice that we, as South Sudanese, should avoid.”
He reiterated that both Puot Kang and Duop Lam remain under detention as they await trial.
“We are aware that they were transferred from the detention centre to an apartment where they had the opportunity to meet their defence lawyers and also the first vice president.”
Yakani emphasised the need for a fair and public trial for Machar and his key allies, who are facing charges of treason, murder, and other criminal offences.
“We have been calling for a fair trial, which means adhering to multiple standards—standards that ensure they feel equally protected by the law without any political interference or restrictions on their freedom of expression by state agencies.”
