Juba, South Sudan,
August 08, 2021 – The staff members of the Juba-based think tank Sudd Institute were not arrested by the National Security Service as initially reported, Acting Director Dr. Augustino Ting Mayai has said.
This comes after a senior researcher at the institute Dr. Jok Madut, announced Monday that some staff from the Sudd Institute were rounded up by the NSS from their Offices.
According to Jok’s Facebook post, Ting was among those taken to the infamous NSS facility; the blue house.
In a statement seen by Nyamilepedia, Dr. Ting denied any report of arrest saying they were called in for questioning and were released “unharmed”.
“While I and colleagues were called in yesterday [Monday] to answer authorities’ questions on the matter on behalf of the Institute, we were never arrested nor harmed as alleged on the social media,” he said.
“The NSS agents demonstrated a great deal of professionalism, the rarest I have experienced in our Republic,” Ting added.
However, the acting director confirmed the closure of the Institute saying the development came after one of their staff members announced the formation of a coalition that is calling for civil unrest and uprising in the country.
“This implies that the institutions met and collectively formed the Coalition, subsequently delegating respective signatories,” Dr. Ting continued in the statement adding that Sudd Institute will remain closed until investigations are over.
“This is being investigated. The Institute will remain closed until the authorities have completed their investigation, hopefully soon,” he said.
The Sudd Institute management and board of directors are reportedly holding meetings pertaining to the matter.
Sudd Institute is a research-focused organization that highlights challenges facing the citizens and suggests policy frameworks to the government for implementation.
