South Sudan's former Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Bak Barnaba Chol arrested


JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — A former South Sudan finance minister is the latest former government official arrested in a wave of detentions that analysts say shows cracks in the government of President Salva Kiir, who also faces an armed rebellion.

The latest arrest came Friday when Bak Barnaba Chol was taken into custody while attempting to cross the border into Uganda. His arrest followed that of another former minister of finance and planning, Marial Dongrin Ater, who was fired in August.

In the past week, a former central bank governor, a former undersecretary for the ministry of petroleum, and a general in the domestic intelligence agency previously posted to the same ministry have been detained.

The exact reasons for the arrests remain unclear.

Government spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told local media outlet Eye Radio that the arrests were “not political” and were a “direct response to irregularities identified within the monetary system.” He said that a committee was investigating “financial malpractices.”

Edmund Yakani, a prominent civic leader, said Saturday that the mood in Juba was tense among politicians fearing detention. “So far, these arrests have mostly targeted financial institutions, but if the arrests carry into the security sectors it will be very dangerous,” he said.



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