September 6, 2024 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s security services have released the former Juba town mayor, Kalisto Ladu more than six months after his arrest and detention. Ladu was arrested in March, sparking widespread condemnation by the entire ethnic Bari community leadership, members of parliament, and human rights groups, including Amnesty International which labeled the decision of the authorities as arbitrary. The embassy of the United States and other European diplomats and representatives had earlier called on the authorities to release or produce Ladu before a competent and independent court of law to answer charges labeled against him. The release, announced to the public on Friday, was attended by high-profile officials from South Sudan’s national legislative assembly, including the former national minister of interior, currently a national legislator, Alfred Lado Gore, a leading member of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement  (SPLM) under president Salva Kiir. Gore was at the epicenter of negotiation advocating the release of young politicians whose detention had polarized local politics, with some accusing some of the community leaders of having sided with the government at the expense of the social cohesion and harmony of the Bari-speaking community. The former mayor was critical of how land in …

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