The SPLM secretariat in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal State has said their outfit’s local chairperson, who also doubles as the commissioner of Wau County, was on Friday arrested by elements of SPLA-IO.

Commissioner Jacinto Matia Mboro was detained on the road between Wau town and Mboro Payam.

The SPLM’s state secretary, Lucia Amin Abaka, told Radio Tamazuj Friday afternoon that Commissioner Mboro was apprehended by SPLA-IO soldiers in Wau County while traveling on official duty. 

“Jacinto Matia Mboro was on an important mission to inaugurate a primary health unit in the area but now he has been arrested by the IO and is being detained there,” Amin said. “We still do not know what happened and we are calling on our colleagues in (SPLM) IO that we are at peace and we are not supposed to do such.” 

The ruling party’s state secretary called on the opposition forces in Wau County to unconditionally release the commissioner.

“I am calling upon the SPLA-IO that if there are such problems between us it is something very bad because we are in one state and working together (sic),” she added.

For his part, SPLM state youth league Chairperson Julius Paul Uchalla condemned the arrest and called for the immediate release of the commissioner.

“We received the information about the arrest of the commissioner and the chairperson of SPLM party of Wau County, Mr. Jecinto Matia Mboro,” Uchalla said. “We are the SPLM youth league in the state and we are standing behind the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement but we are surprised that our colleagues from (SPLM/A) IO in Wau County have arrested the commissioner who was going to open the health care center in the Boma.” 

Commissioner Mboro was accompanied by other senior state government officials including SPLM nominated local government minister Kamil Wana Oraj, state health minister Dr. Vincent Taban Joseph of the SPLM-IO, and information minister Andison Arkanjelo Musa Albino. 

All the ministers returned to Wau town safely making it difficult to understand the motive behind the commissioner’s arrest.

Calls to Governor Sara Cleto for comment on the issue went unanswered and a source said she was in a closed-door meeting with SPLA-IO’s Gen. Abdalla Ujang.