They were arrested on Saturday and charged with violating orders of the local authorities and destabilizing peace in the area.

According to a local community leader, security forces stormed a meeting of the youth and apprehended a dozen including a woman that was later released.

Joseph Deng, the external relations secretary of the Ngok Lual community stated that the meeting discussed ways to address issues affecting the locals including the upcoming cultivation season, among others.

Deng alleges that the detainees were taken to an unknown location, and later transferred to police custody.

“Our people were displaced to Melut, since 2013, organized themselves to discuss their situation after the organizations left the camps,” Deng told Eye Radio.

“For nearly two years, there has been no humanitarian organization in the camp. And they were relying on each other. So, they formed a body to discuss their issues,

“During the meeting, the security organs stormed the meeting and all forces stormed the meeting place and said that this meeting will not take place,

“The agenda of the meeting was to discuss the issue of sewage ahead of the rainy season, so they wanted to dig culverts.”

The community leader says the youth were arrested on orders of the Melut County Commissioner.

For his part, Melut County Commissioner confirmed the arrest.

Deng Jok admitted to having ordered their arrest to avoid problems between communities in the area.

He specifies that the arrest comes after the youth violated a local order by the County security committee.

“These people are accused of violating the security committee’s order because the committee decided to maintain the security of the “Ngok Lual Yak” people, that there should be no clash between two groups in one clan,”  Jok told Eye Radio.

“The security committee decided that they should be arrested for violating the order and to open a case against them for violating the authorities’ decision and the security committee in the County.”

Jok says after the investigations are completed, they will be brought to trial.

The detained youth are allegedly among internally displaced persons who fled to Melut County after the 2013 and 2016 conflicts.

They were displaced from the Baliet County and Khor-Flos area, and are now living in camps in Melut County.