A renowned South Sudanese activist said Sunday he is facing a campaign of intimidation and threats of arrest from the country’s security services, which he believes is a retaliation for his criticism of government spending and human rights records.
Ter Manyang Gatwech, the executive director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy, told Radio Tamazuj that a contact within the National Security Service (NSS) warned him of a letter authorizing his arrest that could be signed at any time.
“He told me, ‘Be careful, there’s a letter now… it can be signed any time by the Director for me to be arrested,’” Gatwech recounted. “I thanked him for giving me this information.”
Gatwech said the alleged threat is part of a broader pattern of harassment, including suspicious phone calls inquiring about his location.
“Such words are continuous, that’s monitoring my movement and intimidation. This is very serious for me,” he said.
In response, Gatwech said he has alerted diplomats, as well as international human rights organizations, about the situation.
The activist believes he is being targeted for his recent commentary on high-profile political cases and the government’s delegations to the United Nations.
“Now they want to push me out because I am very vocal,” Gatwech said.
He condemned what he described as a government strategy to profile and harass activists, journalists and human rights defenders in an effort to silence critical voices.
“I am not a criminal. I’m just doing my work within the laws of South Sudan,” Gatwech said. “If I see something that’s not going well, I don’t see any reason why the national security should look for me.”
He called on the government and the international community to act to protect civil society members and independent journalists, stressing that they are “not enemies of the state.”
Gatwech also warned that continued violations could worsen the country’s situation ahead of South Sudan’s scheduled human rights review in Geneva in 2026.
South Sudan’s government has frequently been accused by watchdogs of suppressing dissent and targeting critics. The National Security Service has broad powers to arrest and detain individuals, a practice that has drawn international condemnation.
Requests for comment from the NSS were not immediately returned.