Military Intelligence arrests SPLM-IO Youth League member in Maban

JUBA – A member of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) Youth League has been arrested by military intelligence officers in Maban County of Upper Nile State, the opposition group said in a statement on Sunday.

The statement, issued by SPLM-IO Youth League spokesperson Gattiek Wichar, said the detainee—identified as Anour Shuba Podi—was arrested on Friday, March 6, at around 1:00 p.m. in Maban.

According to the youth league, Podi was detained by military intelligence personnel after being accused of maintaining direct contact with forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) operating in the area.

The group rejected the allegation, describing it as unfounded and politically motivated.

“Cde. Anour was arrested on Friday at 1:00 PM by Military Intelligence in Maban County after being accused of being in direct contact with the SPLA (IO) forces in the area, an accusation which holds no water,” the statement said.

The SPLM-IO Youth League leadership condemned what it described as an arbitrary arrest and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the detained official.

“Such systematic intimidation and arrests of opposition members will never contribute to the development of South Sudan,” the group said.

The youth league said Podi is a senior cadre within its ranks and has previously held several leadership roles within the movement. From 2017 to 2019, he served as the Secretary for Political Mobilisation of the SPLM-IO Youth League chapter in Egypt. He also led the SPLM-IO Student League chapter in the country before returning to South Sudan.

After his return, Podi reportedly took up the position of SPLM-IO County Secretary in Maban, Upper Nile State.

The arrest comes amid previous complaints by the opposition movement over the detention of its members by security agencies.

In October 2025, officers from the National Security Service arrested Alfred Gatmai Koang, the Information Secretary of the SPLM-IO caucus in Mayom County, while he was in Juba. He was released a day later following the intervention of party officials.

A month later, in November 2025, another SPLM-IO member, Achieng Maboto, was detained shortly after arriving at Freedom Hall in Juba to attend a court session involving opposition leader Riek Machar and several co-accused. He was reportedly taken into custody by suspected military intelligence officers and driven to the Jamus Military Detention Centre in the Giada area of the capital.

The SPLM-IO Youth League warned that continued arrests of its members risk undermining political trust and could further strain relations among parties to the country’s fragile peace process.