16/08/2025
JUBA — Former Presidential Press Secretary Ateny Wek Ateny has penned an open letter to President Salva Kiir Mayardit, appealing for the release of Trinity Energy Chairman Akol Emmanuel Ayii and Major General Akot Lual, both of whom remain in detention under unclear circumstances.
Maj. Gen. Lual, a former special presidential envoy on Pibor affairs, was arrested in Juba in early August, while businessman Ayii was allegedly picked up by National Security Service (NSS) agents within the same period.
In his letter, dated 13 August 2025, Ateny—who also served on the National Constitutional Review Commission (2011–2020)—described his appeal as “extraordinary,” noting he no longer has direct access to Kiir despite having worked closely with him for nearly a decade.
“I would wish to have given you my request personally, if I still had access to Your Excellency. However, for three years and eight days now, I only see you on TV,” Ateny wrote, grounding his plea on principles of justice and the protection of Kiir’s legacy.
Ateny argued that both men had made substantial contributions to the country’s liberation, peace processes, and economy.
He recalled Maj. Gen. Lual’s loyalty, including his service as Kiir’s bodyguard and his dangerous 2014 mission to engage former rebel leader David Yau Yau—an effort aimed at preventing Yau Yau from allying with Dr. Riek Machar during a fragile moment in the conflict.
Turning to businessman Ayii, Ateny praised him as one of South Sudan’s most influential entrepreneurs, citing the work of Trinity Group, which spans Trinity Energy, M-Gurush mobile money, and the Wau Power Plant, employing more than 9,000 South Sudanese.
“Arresting Akol E. Ayii for even a minute is not helpful to his business at all,” Ateny warned, stressing that disputes over debts or contracts should be resolved through arbitration or the courts rather than through detention.
The former presidential spokesman further cautioned that prolonged detention of the two men risks undermining due process and tarnishing Kiir’s image as a reconciliatory leader.
“The President must come at last in every decision. While Your Excellency’s legacy matters most for someone like me, I further urge you to set the two gentlemen free,” Ateny concluded.
As of now, the government has not issued a statement regarding Ateny’s letter or the specific circumstances surrounding the detention of Ayii and Maj. Gen. Lual.
