The National Movement for Change is a member of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance, or SSOA, a signatory to the September 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.

Last week, the Commissioner of Aweil East ordered the national security personnel to detain John Garang Deng, a senior member of the opposition party in the state.

Commissioner Kiir Yor Lual claims that Garang was recruiting and mobilizing people in the state to join his party.

Garang was allegedly caught red-handed mobilizing people, including members of the organized forces.

Kiir argues that the recruitment exercise is against the spirit of the revitalized peace agreement.

As a result, he arbitrarily detained Garang for 9 days at a security facility in Aweil East County.

Garang’s party leaders then intervened and demanded immediate release of their colleague.

The opposition official was released without charges on Wednesday.

“He was found registering the numbers of security people in an attempt to lower them to their side, some of active police officers in the police force were registered. He was apprehended with a list of people he registered in the area along with civil servants,” Aweil East County Commissioner Kiir told Eye Radio on Wednesday.

“The purpose of the arrest was to bring him under control and get information from him as to why he is doing these activities without the knowledge of the authorities.

“Today, we set him free and allowed him to go home and we gave him warning, that should he continue to engage in these activities will apprehend him and he will be produced in the court of law.”

The revitalized peace agreement requires parties to cease recruitment of soldiers.