Executive Director of humanitarian organization held in South Sudan

Officials with Unity Cultural and Development Center, a nonprofit humanitarian organization, said security operatives arrested its executive director and have yet to provide a reason for his arrest.

An official with the organization said Angelo Bensencio Mangu was detained two weeks ago and his colleagues have been contacting security operatives to try to find out the reason for his arrest. His wife, Leticia Simom Adriano, says she has visited the security detention facility in Wau where he is being held but has not been allowed to see or speak to him.

“UCDC is one of the lead agencies in food assistance distribution in six IDPs sites. … We definitely regret the suspension and the consequences that it is already having on the vulnerable communities that we serve in Wau,” Yhohanna Philip, program coordinator for the organization, said.

Philip said some of the assets confiscated by security operatives in Wau are being used by the military, which is a clear violation of international humanitarian law. “Surprisingly, it has come to our notice that the detained Land Cruiser pickup plate No. SSD 822 G- was seen last Thursday moving in and around Wau town carrying armed soldiers and supplies.”

Stephen Robo Musa, who heads a civil society network in Wau, is … calling on the security operatives to release Bensencio or have him tried him in a court of law if he has committed any crime.

[Voice of America]

This entry was posted in Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation by Grant Montgomery.