By Bida Elly David
Abyei Administrative Area (AAA) authority has released six soldiers who were accused of fueling inter-communal violence between the Ngok Dinka and Twic of Warrap State in 2022.
After recurring conflict in the region, a high-level committee headed by the vice president for service cluster, Hussein Abdelbagi was formed in June last year to probe the Ngok-Twic inter-communal conflict that ensued in 2022.
Following the committee’s report, the six suspected soldiers were detained in the Wun-Yiik Military Barracks of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces.
The investigation report revealed that the soldiers participated in the brutality, making them liable to be arrested.
Speaking to the No. 1 Citizen Daily Newspaper on Thursday, Bulis Koch, the minister of information for Abyei, said the suspected soldiers were all in detention without trial.
He mentioned that they had requested multiple times for their case to be prosecuted to prove their innocence, but it never came to fruition.
“They were put there without court judgment; as a government, we wrote to the highest authority demanding their case be taken to court to prove whether they were guilty or not to alert their families, but it never happened,” he said.
Minister Bulis said they wrote to the SSPDF Chief of Defense forces, Gen. Santino Deng Wol and Vice President, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, about the matter, but the letter was rebuffed.
“They refuted our letter, saying the case was transferred to the highest authority, which is the president of the country, but through the chief, our legal advisor, these soldiers were able to be released,” he said.
“The suspected soldiers have been in military detention and released based on the fact that there was no evidence of their participation in the conflict,” he continued.
Mr. Bulis said four (4) of the suspects were flown to Abyei to reunite with their families, while two (2) others were flown to Juba based on their request for medical treatment.
The names of the six (6) suspected soldiers released on February 13, 2024, include Adol Deng Adol, Akeech Majok Chol, Adol Atem Adol, Ajing Ngor Makueth, Ring Akot Malek, and Makuac Monyjok Ngor, who are currently reunited with their families.
In his argument, Bulis said there was no way for government forces to participate in inter-communal violence, which is against their ethics.
On the current security situation, Minister Bulis said the area is experiencing a bit of calm despite some insecurity in some parts.
The Minister appreciated the government of Abyei Special Administrative Area, under the leadership of Amb. Dr. Chol Deng Alak, the Chief Administrator, for securing the release and facilitating the journey of the released detainees back to their families.
He further applauded those who played a role in one way or another to ensure the release of the detained individuals.