South Sudanese soldiers arrested over death of UN worker

A United Nations staff member was found dead in South Sudan days after being taken into custody by security personnel, the world body said in a statement.

Army Lt. Lino Mariak Chol and two other soldiers were arrested after admitting to the killing and disclosing the whereabouts of the body, said Saninto Udol, a police spokesman. The body was found in a residential area on Thursday.

Bol Roch Mayol, a South Sudanese national, was taken from a UN vehicle by five South Sudanese soldiers Monday following a routine patrol to a displacement camp on the outskirts of the northern town of Wau.

Mayol’s UN vehicle had stopped on the side of a road after getting a flat tire, Udol said.

“We are devastated by the loss of our colleague,” Anita Kiki Gbeho, the head of the UN mission in South Sudan, said in a statement Friday.

Army detention facilities

Mayol was a language assistant who had worked with the UN mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, since its inception in 2011.

UNMISS spokesperson Priyanka Chowdhury said authorities and the UN mission are trying to establish the exact manner of death.

Chowdhury said that UNMISS does not have any indication the killing was ordered or orchestrated.

Following his arrest Monday, the UN contacted army commanders about Mayol’s whereabouts and UN officials were invited to tour the army’s detention facilities in Wau.

Gbeho said the killing was “unacceptable” and called for an immediate and thorough investigation to ensure the responsible parties are held to account.

Motive unknown

The South Sudanese army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A motive has not been established.

South Sudan has long been one of the most dangerous countries in the world for aid workers and attacks and abductions increased in 2025. The vast majority of aid workers who fall victim to violence were South Sudanese, the UN reported.

UNMISS is scaling down following a 15% budget cut. The reduction comes amid a sharp resurgence in fighting that left more than 1,000 civilians dead, some in indiscriminate bombings or extrajudicial killings by security personnel, the UN Human Rights Office said.