Juba, Monday (Dec 8, 2025) – The allegations concerning Gen. Manasah Machar Bol’s arrest are false, according to an official at the Ministry of Petroleum. Last week, many bloggers stated that the Director of Security Coordination at the Ministry of Petroleum had been arrested and taken to a detention center in Juba on corruption charges.
“That’s not true. Gen. Manasa has never been absent from work on any given working day. I saw him make himself a cup of coffee minutes ago,” the employee, who requested anonymity, told this publication on Friday afternoon.
In the past few months, there have been similar unfounded allegations against the officer. Those privy to the departmental affairs believe that it is a mere media campaign by some of his colleagues at the National Security Service to have him replaced.
“Some of his colleagues at the National Security Service have been eyeing the position of the Director of Security Coordination at the Ministry of Petroleum and they have mounted a rather desperate lobbying and campaigning tactic, including tarnishing the image of Gen. Manasa Machar in the hope of convincing the leadership to have him replaced,” the source added.
Since taking up this role over a decade ago, South Sudan has not experienced any disruption in oil production or the flow of crude through the pipeline. Furthermore, he has played a crucial role in loan negotiations, particularly where crude oil has been used as collateral, thereby safeguarding the national interests of the government and the people of South Sudan.
And due to the immense trust in his capacity to play a crucial role in the oil sector’s security, Gen. Machar’s superiors have kept him in the position for the greater good of the oil-dependent country.
“Those guys are wasting their time. If I were one of them, I would seek job in any other government institution,” she added.
