South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS) has confiscated a smartphone, laptop, and internet modem from Angelina Teny, the country’s interior minister and wife of detained First Vice President Riek Machar, opposition officials said.
Teny, a senior member of Machar’s opposition SPLM-IO party, resides in her husband’s official residence.
SPLM-IO Spokesperson Pal Mai Deng told Radio Tamazuj on Sunday that security agents seized her devices to restrict her communication and movement. “The move taken today [Sunday] to confiscate her devices is that she is not allowed to move, which differentiates her status from being under open arrest and real confinement,” Pal said.
Pal, who also serves as South Sudan’s irrigation minister, alleged the move was part of efforts to undermine the 2018 revitalized peace agreement. He said other SPLM-IO officials, including lawmakers, had been barred from leaving the country.
The motives behind the NSS’s actions remain unclear, Pal said, but he voiced concerns over Teny’s and Machar’s safety, noting she was the only person staying with him at their residence.
“Hon. Angelina is just one of the members, but there are other SPLM-IO members loyal to the cause, including lawmakers,” he added.
Another senior official, speaking anonymously, confirmed to Radio Tamazuj that security forces had taken Teny’s devices.
“It is difficult now for Madam Angelina to communicate because her phone has been taken. Security officials confiscated the phone, laptop, and internet modem she used to access the internet,” the official said.
Internet service was cut off from Machar’s residence following his arrest in March, forcing Teny to rely on a modem, the official added. Teny had been staying in a separate section of the residence since March 26 to provide Machar with food and essentials.
“The NSS initially told Angelina she was not under house arrest like Machar, but fearing she would be blocked from returning, she chose not to leave,” the official said.
NSS Spokesperson David John Kumuri could not be reached for comment.
Tensions between President Salva Kiir and Machar—signatories of the 2018 peace deal—have intensified in recent months. The breakdown of their power-sharing agreement risks reigniting a civil war that killed roughly 400,000 people between 2013 and 2018.
Machar’s party says his arrest and the detention of allies have effectively “abrogated” the peace deal. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has warned the country is “on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict.”
The U.S. and other Western embassies in Juba have urged Kiir to “reverse this action and prevent further escalation.”
South Sudan’s government has not responded to international calls to release detained SPLM-IO officials, including Machar, or to resume dialogue to ease tensions.