By Emelda Siama John
The Spokesperson of South Sudan People Depense Forces (SSPDF has denied the arrest of Deng Makol the former chair of Northern Bahr-El-Ghazal State Chamber of Commerce and a senior trader who was summoned alongside his friends and put on tentative detention for days by the army Lion, division three days and later transferred to Juba according to Deng’s family.
However in response to the matter, SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, told No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper that he’s not aware of the detention of Deng Makol who is said to be under the military intelligent detention facility in Juba.
“I did not come across (news) about the detention of Deng, maybe you can find out from the operation division in Juba,” he responded.
But the family of the detained trader in a statement extended this paper earlier inee said that Deng who served as the chairperson of Northern Bahr-El-Ghazal and a senior trader was summoned alongside his friends and put under tentative detention for days by the military lion division three and later transferred to Juba.
They said that their son and his colleagues in the enterprise after being transferred remained under detention without getting access to legal advocates.
“We the family members of Deng are concerned about his continued arbitrary detention in a military facility without trial. He has been unwell before he was arrested and now his health condition continues to deteriorate which is the major concern of the family, “the family statement partly read
They condemned the military section for having detained their son at their unit since he neither have any military affiliation of whatever kind nor having links with military forces but tried to serve for the government for couple of years.
The family said that the military division failed to clarify reasons behind the detention of their son rather keeping him under punitive detention without future.
“The state government under which he served as the chairman of chamber of commerce has either distanced itself from his arrest or denied any knowledge of any charges levied against him. The military division which summoned him gave no definitive answer about why he was arrested in the first place,” they stated.