S. Sudan military intelligence detaining siblings for getting victims of Jonglei violence to Juba
Siblings being detained by MI for transporting victims of Jonglei violence to Juba for treatment (Photo credit: family)
June 25, 2020 (SSNN) – Members of South Sudan army’s military intelligence (MI) are detaining two siblings who transported victims of Jonglei ethnic violence to the country’s capital Juba, a family member has said.
Aleer Deng Aleer, a brother to the two said in a statement on Thursday that the two men were arrested following their return from Panyagoor, Jonglei State.
He said the MI has been ordered by management to release the siblings because of lack of evidence to back the MI claim but has been five days since that order had been issued and that only two foreigners who work with them in a small airliner were released.
“My brothers operate a small passenger-plane that flies daily to major towns in South Sudan. Marial Deng Aleer is a pilot in training (P.I.T) while Biar Deng Aleer is an employee of this small business operation. They are both civilian and self-employed,” he said.
“After following up with MI senior management, it was established that they didn’t have a strong case against my brothers and the crew members and they agreed that they will release them immediately but it has been over 5 days now and they keep reneging on their promised. The two foreigners were released but my brothers are still being held up,” the statement seen by South Sudan News Now added.
Aleer said the detention appears to be a “politically motivated arrest …. because they have been shifting excuses, made up allegations and charges against my brothers, first it was because they transported wounded people, then they shifted to accusing them of transporting ammunition that they claimed were picked up in Mading Bor, which was just a shameless ignorant lie, since they never stopped in Mading Bor that day, and now they are interrogating and torturing them to confess anyone that sent them to Panyangoor so that they can use that to frame some of the leaders from that region.”
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