Juba, South Sudan.
December 1, 2021—Two senior opposition generals in Ruweng, loyal to the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny, have been sentenced to seven years in jail by a mobile court for allegedly torturing a 19-year old man in June, a senior officer in government said.
Ruweng director of information Miakol Makuach said that in June a man identified as Atem Mayiik Manyil was apprehended and tortured in Agarak, an area in Ruweng that’s controlled by the opposition forces loyal to Machar over a cell phone that “disappeared” three weeks earlier.
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In a statement seen by Nyamilepedia, the Information Minister of Ruweng Administrative Area, James Arop confirms that the two men have been sentenced to seven years in jail and will pay a fine of 24 cows to the victim.
“The verdict is already done. Those two soldiers, the Bridger General and the Lieutenant colonel were in prison for seven years each then there was also payment of 24 cows and I think it’s done customarily or customary law that is what they told me,” Arop said in a statement obtained by Nyamilepedia.
In his part, the SPLA-IO spokesman Col. Lam Paul Gabriel dismissed such report and termed it as fake news.
“This is a wild, negative and baseless accusation against the SPLA-IO. The SPLA-IO is a national movement that cannot be reduced to such criminal acts,” Colonel Lam Paul said at the time.
According to the senior opposition military spokesman, such allegations show a complete lack of military chain of command and it does not make any sense.
Col. Lam Paul Gabriel said the Ruweng Administration Area’s Information Director Miakol Makuach should find the true criminals and avoid defamatory acts against the SPLA-IO generals.
According to the Deputy Administrator of the Ruweng Administrative Area, Hon. Jau Minyiel, who spoke during the governors’ forum, the SPLM/A-IO has no presence in RAA
