Statement on arrest of Peter Biar Ajak

We are deeply concerned to hear of the arrest on unspecified charges of Peter Biar Ajak. Peter Biar is a well-respected South Sudanese economist who has relentlessly supported the cause of peace and reconciliation in South Sudan. He is South Sudan Senior Advisor for the International Growth Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science and University of Oxford, founder of the South Sudan Young Leaders Forum, and has received international recognition, including as a Desmond Tutu Fellow and a Millennium Leadership Program Fellow at the Atlantic Council. We call on the government to either file formal charges against Peter Biar or promptly release him.

— Jonathan Leape, Executive Director of the IGC

“I’m very troubled by the arrest of Peter Biar Ajak, our South Sudan Senior Advisor. Peter has been deeply involved in peace and reconciliation efforts in South Sudan. I ask that government either files formal charges against him or releases him.”

— Sir Paul Collier, IGC Director and Professor, Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford

A petition in support of Peter’s release is available to sign here, and updates are being shared via the hashtag #FreePeterBiar.