South Sudan national security detains four Rumbek University lecturers

The academics, identified as Makur Awan Maguang, Dean of Student Affairs; Khot Manyuon Thuc, lecturer and head of the department of business administration; Joseph Muong, lecturer and head of the department of geography; and Emmanuel Rundial, acting head of the department of history, were arrested on Saturday.

A lecturer who confirmed the arrests to said national security personnel took the four into custody on Saturday. Initially, the lecturers were to be taken to the Rock City Military Barracks but would later be held at a national security facility in Rumbek town.

The lecturer who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal said the arrests followed a meeting between the University Vice Chancellor and the Governor of Lakes State, General Riny Tueny Mabor.

“The cause of arrested is unknown, what we know is that the Vice Chancellor and his team met with governor,” the source said.

On May 8, 2024, the university vice chancellor ordered the suspension of the university’s academic staff association activities and the association’s acting chairperson, Khot Manyuon Thuc, who is among those detained.

Daniel Laat, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) State Coordinator, described the detentions as “an unfortunate situation” and advocated for dialogue.

“Dialogue would have been a better solution. The university administration could have met with the lecturers to address their grievances rather than resorting to detention,” Laat said when contacted by .

He called for the lecturers’ release and urged national government intervention, noting that the academics had raised their concerns with both university leadership and the President of South Sudan.

“Holding the lecturers for too long will escalate the situation. Everything can be resolved through dialogue,” he added.

University Vice Chancellor Professor Joshua Otor Akol told he was unaware of the arrests and would need to investigate.

“I don’t know if they are arrest, let me first find out about that,” he said.

William Koji Kerjok, the acting state minister of information and communication, declined to comment on the university’s arrests, stating they were a national issue.

“If security is involved, then we are not involved,” he said, noting that the university has its own spokesman.

The detention occurred a day after the university staff association’s general assembly, on May 7, 2025, demanded the removal of top university administrators, including the Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellors for Administration and Academic Affairs.

The assembly accused the administration of administrative incompetence, including failure to manage staff accommodations, harassment of academic staff, and delays in salary payments.

sudanspost.com