South Sudanese army officer arrested over death of UN staff member

NAIROBI, Kenya — 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 U.N. 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 U.N. 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 deputy head of the U.N. mission in South Sudan, said in a statement Friday. Mayol was a language assistant who had worked with the U.N mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, since its inception in 2011. UNMISS spokesperson Priyanka Chowdhury said authorities and the U.N. 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 U.N. contacted army commanders about Mayol's whereabouts and U.N. 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. 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. In the first half of the year, 25 aid workers or contractors were killed or injured, up from 15 over the same period the previous year. The vast majority of aid workers who fall victim to violence were South Sudanese, the U.N. reported. The United States warned earlier this month that it may cut foreign aid to South Sudan, accusing the government of imposing exorbitant fees on aid groups and obstructing operations. 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 U.N. Human Rights Office said.