Major General Akot Lual Arech, a former special presidential envoy on Pibor affairs, has been arrested by security forces in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, according to relatives and community members.
Akot, who also previously served as President Salva Kiir’s private secretary, is a relative of the president and hails from the Awan Chan community in Warrap State.
Akot was one of the lead negotiators in the 2014 peace talks that ended the conflict between government forces and the SSDM-Cobra Faction, a rebel group led by General David Yau Yau
John Mawien Maduok, chairperson of the Awan Chan Youth Union, told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that Akot was arrested alongside his relative, Akot Arech Bol, calling the move politically motivated and unjust. Mawien said the August 2 arrest has sparked alarm among veterans, civil leaders, and citizens nationwide.
In a statement, the youth group accused Vice President for the Economic Cluster, Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, of orchestrating the detention, alleging it was retaliation for Akot’s opposition to the deployment of Ugandan People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) in South Sudan.
The youth union claimed that Ugandan soldiers are paid $200 per day per soldier—a contentious issue in a country where South Sudanese troops face unpaid wages and poor conditions. It argued that the UPDF’s presence under Bol Mel’s oversight has exacerbated divisions, mistrust, and political repression.
“This is not justice; it is a calculated move to silence dissent and pave the way for Bol Mel’s alleged presidential ambitions,” the statement read. It further implicated other senior officials, including the Director General of the Internal Security Bureau (ISB) and Major General Deng Akeen Deng, in the detention.
The group condemned what it called the “humiliation of respected elders” like Akot, warning that such actions undermine traditional values and national cohesion. It urged President Kiir to intervene: “We ask you, Mr. President, to break the silence and restore confidence in our institutions. Let South Sudan be ruled by conscience, not connivance.”
The statement concluded by demanding Akot’s immediate release.
The office of Vice President Bol Mel could not immediately be reached for comment.
David John Kumuri, spokesperson for South Sudan’s National Security Service, said he had no information about the arrest.
In March, South Sudan invited Uganda’s military to reinforce security in Juba and the Upper Nile region amid renewed tensions between Kiir and his rival, First Vice President Riek Machar.
Tensions have risen recently between Uganda and South Sudan along their shared border after clashes in South Sudan’s Kajo-Keji County left five South Sudanese soldiers dead last week.