The local authorities in Warrap State’s Gogrial West County have confirmed that 14 officials from the state finance ministry, revenue authority, and organized forces were arrested last Thursday by soldiers from the SSPDF 11th Infantry Division for illegally opening the Tharkueng Bridge Checkpoint.
In January, the SSPDF leadership in Juba said they had dismantled all checkpoints along major roads across the country following a directive from President Salva Kiir. The checkpoints, including illegal ones, were faulted for extorting traders and travelers and skyrocketing commodity prices.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Victor Wek Door, the commissioner of Gogrial West County, clarified that those who set up the illegal checkpoint were not errant youths but local government officials, police, and soldiers. He said the officials were ordered by state officials to operationalize the checkpoint in contravention of President Salva Kiir’s directive.
“Those arrested were not youths as said by people on social media, but government officials, including police officers, an immigration officer, some revenue authority staff, rate collectors and military intelligence officers,” he explained. “So, a total of 14 people from different units were arrested because they violated the president’s order.”
Commissioner Wek denied involvement in the arrests, although the checkpoint falls in his jurisdiction, and said the operation was carried out by the commander of the SSPDF’s Division 11, who had repeatedly warned against its being set up.
“The SSPDF commander arrested them and burned down the shed they were using as an office. The finance ministry might not have informed the division commander about reopening the checkpoint,” he stated. “As a commissioner, I am not involved in the matter, and it has nothing to do with the county.”
Meanwhile, Joseph Manut, the Kuach South Payam administrator, confirmed the arrests and said he attempted to bail out the officials, but the army officers refused.
“The detained are government officials from the finance ministry and the revenue authority. The tax staff were caught by the SSPDF at Tharkueng Bridge because they opened the checkpoint. The soldiers beat, detained, and took them to the Majak-tiit Division 11 Headquarters. The checkpoint was closed, but the tax officials reopened it,” he narrated. “My commissioner (Wek) sent me on Monday to go and check on the condition of the detained officials, and I found them okay. They had not been beaten again. I tried to bail them out, but the army officers refused. I reported my findings to my commissioner.”