Fears grow over South Sudan commentator arrested in UAE for criticising President Kiir
Samuel Peter Oyay, a vocal critic of President Salva Kiir, was seized from his Dubai home after publishing articles exposing alleged corruption and power abuses in South Sudan’s leadership.
Concerns are growing over the fate of South Sudanese political commentator Samuel Peter Oyay, who has been detained in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), for more than a month after publishing a series of articles critical of Juba’s leadership.
Oyay, a long-time critic of President Salva Kiir’s administration, was reportedly taken from his Dubai home on September 30, just days after publishing an article on Radio Tamazuj accusing Kiir of undermining state institutions and humiliating his political rival, Riek Machar, who is currently on trial for treason.
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That same month, Oyay also published a report linking Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel to an alleged scheme that diverted billions of dollars in public funds intended for road construction.
According to his wife, Vivian Johnson, Emirati authorities raided their residence on September 30, confiscating a laptop and two phones before arresting her husband without explanation.
She told the Associated Press that she has spoken to Oyay only three times since his arrest, with their last call lasting less than a minute. Oyay did not disclose his location during that conversation.
Authorities silent
Johnson said authorities had promised to provide an update within five days but have since remained silent. She maintains that the arrest was politically motivated — a view echoed by several human rights organisations.
Neither the UAE government nor South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry nor security services have publicly commented on the detention.
Rights groups say Oyay’s arrest fits a broader pattern of intimidation targeting exiled critics of the South Sudanese government.
A United Nations investigation previously found that two South Sudanese critics were abducted in Nairobi in 2017, forcibly returned to Juba, and later killed by intelligence operatives. Another dissident, Morris Mabior Awikjok Bak, was arrested in Kenya in 2023 and detained in Juba for over a year after being deported.
“Oyay’s arrest is another reminder that the UAE government has little tolerance for press freedom, even for commentators who are not UAE citizens,” said Sarah Qudah, the Middle East and North Africa director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, which has been monitoring the case.
“Furthermore, nearly three weeks after his arrest, there is still no public information on the reasons or charges, highlighting the opaque and troubling conditions of criminal justice in the country.”
The case unfolds as South Sudan and the UAE deepen their diplomatic and economic ties. The Gulf nation has invested billions across the region and has taken an increasingly active role in Sudan’s conflict, where it holds major commercial interests.
Last month, President Salva Kiir made his third official visit to Dubai, with his office stating that the trip focused on expanding bilateral cooperation and attracting new investment.
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