Former Panyijiar commissioner denies reports of his arrest

BENTIU – The former Commissioner of Panyijiar County in South Sudan’s Unity State, Gabriel Magok Bol, has dismissed widespread allegations that he was arrested by his successor, saying he remains the legitimate officeholder and has not handed over power.

Reports circulated over the weekend indicating that Bol had been detained following the appointment of a new commissioner last month by First Deputy Speaker Oyet Nathaniel. Speaking to Sudans Post on Monday, Magok denied ever being arrested and insisted that he continues to serve as the commissioner in accordance with the 2018 peace agreement.

“I was not arrested. I am still the commissioner of Panyijiar County,” Magok said. “What happened is that my three bodyguards were killed during an attack by Stephen Gai, who was appointed commissioner by Oyet Nathaniel.”

Magok accused the newly-appointed commissioner of attempting to forcefully take over office administration, including demanding the official stamp, without following proper procedures. He argued that he had not received any formal communication from his immediate superior, the Deputy Governor of Unity State, Tor Tunguar, who he said had explicitly instructed him not to hand over authority.

“The directive from my line manager is not to hand over anything, including the stamp,” he stated. “There is no official removal from the commissionership position. The allegations from Oyet Nathaniel were rejected by the deputy governor of Unity State.”

Magok also claimed that the security situation in Panyijiar County has deteriorated since clashes erupted earlier this month. According to him, unknown armed groups have continued to carry out attacks against civilians.

“The security situation is very bad,” he said. “There are killings, rape, and attacks on civilians by unknown gunmen, and we do not know where they are coming from.”

He further denied rumours that he had fled into neighbouring Lakes State, insisting he remains in Panyijiar.

“I have not gone anywhere,” Magok said. “I am still in Panyijiar because I am the sitting commissioner appointed under the 2018 peace agreement, and that agreement is still alive, not dead. We are waiting for the directives of the First Vice President, Dr Riek Machar.”