Former Mayor of Juba City, Kalisto Ladu - Courtesy

The wife of former Juba Mayor Kalisto Lado said a family source called to inform her on Friday that her husband has been released from a five-month detention under unclear circumstances.

Lado, an outspoken politician, was seized by plain-clothed individuals driving numberless black vehicles who entered his home at Hai Kuwait in Juba on the night of March 30, 2024, according to his wife.

For a long time, there was no public statement from the government explaining who detained the former mayor, where and over what charges.

South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) maintained that it was unaware of the whereabouts of the official, while the Internal Security Bureau of the National Security Service (NSS) refused to comment on the incident.

That was until when Vice President Dr James Wani Igga disclosed that the government was behind the detention of the former mayor, adding that he would soon appear in court.

When contacted by Eye Radio, Kalisto’s wife Ann Grace said her brother-in-law had congratulated her on the freedom of her husband, but added that she had not seen the former mayor.

“Up to now I have not received an official call from there, I have heard about this information, but I don’t know if he has been released or not,” she said.

“If there is something like that, It will not be handled by myself, but by the family members and elders. Someone called me and told me congratulations, your husband has been released, that was my cousin’s brother who called me and informed me about it.”

His lawyer, Wani Santino Jada, also posted on Facebook that Mr Lado has been freed from a National Security Service detention.

“Our client, Kalisto Lado, the former mayor of Juba has been released from NSS detention,” he said in a short statement.

The Office of Central Equatoria Governor confirmed the release of Kalisto “by the authorities”, but stopped short of identifying either who freed him or his whereabouts.

Vice President Igga alleged on August 11, 2024, that the former mayor had committed unspecified crimes and would be brought to court soon, though he did not provide a specific timeline.

Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) commended the release of Kalisto and called on the government to hold those behind the detention accountable.