A family member of detained Jur River County Commissioner James Ernest Makuei has called on the national government to arraign his brother before a competent court or release him.
Makuei was arrested in February in the Western Bahr el Ghazal State capital, Wau, and transferred to the National Security Service’s (NSS) Internal Security Bureau (ISB) Headquarters, commonly referred to as the Blue House, in Juba, where he has been in detention since.
According to sources, Commissioner Makuei and State Security Advisor Marko Peter Achor were reportedly arrested concerning the fighting that erupted between opposition forces and NSS personnel at the Kaburi-Ngab checkpoint in Jur River County when the government ordered the removal of all checkpoints.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Alfonse Ernest Makuei, the brother of the incarcerated commissioner, called on the authorities to present him in a court of law or release him unconditionally. He said since his arrest, the family has had no access to him, and yet he suffers from diabetes and hypertension.
“I am appealing to the state and national governments that if there is a crime he committed, he should be taken to court because until now, we have not been informed about any cases opened against him,” he said. “He is sick and suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure, and had a serious operation. I am calling on the government and all human rights organizations to join our voice so that the commissioner is arraigned in court.”
“He should not be kept within national security. If he has committed a crime against the country, he should be taken to a court which will determine his fate,” he added.
Meanwhile, Stephen Robo Musa, a civil society activist who doubles as the coordinator of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) in Western Bahr el Ghazal State, echoed the family’s call for the release of the commissioner.
He said that Commissioner Makuei was arrested in connection with clashes between the SPLA-IO and government forces at the Kabur-Ngab checkpoint.
“We are adding our voice to that of the family of Commissioner James Ernest Makuei of Jur River County, who has spent a long time in detention,” Robo said. “If there are charges against him, he should be taken to court.”
Although any detainee must be brought before a judge within 24 hours according to the country’s constitution, this rarely happens.