NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A United Nations staffer has been found dead in South Sudan days after being taken into custody by security officials, the world organization said in a statement.
Army Lt. Lino Mariak Chol and two other soldiers were arrested after confessing to the killing and revealing the location of the body, said Saninto Udol, a police spokesman. The body was discovered in a residential area on Thursday.
Bol Roh Mayol, a South Sudanese national, was taken from a UN vehicle by five South Sudanese soldiers on Monday after a routine patrol at a camp for displaced people on the outskirts of the northern city of Wau. Maillol's UN vehicle stopped on the side of the road after it suffered a flat tire, Udall said.
“We are devastated by the loss of our colleague,” Anita Kiki Gbeho, head of the U.N. mission in South Sudan, said in a statement Friday.
Maillol has been a language assistant and has worked with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) since its inception in 2011.
UNMISS spokeswoman Priyanka Chowdhury said authorities and the UN mission were trying to establish the exact cause of death.
Chowdhury said UNMISS had no indication that the killing was ordered or organized.
Following his arrest on Monday, the UN contacted army commanders about Maillol's whereabouts, and UN officials were invited to inspect army detention facilities in Wau.
Gbeho said the killing was “unacceptable” and called for an immediate and thorough investigation to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
South Sudan's army did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The motive has not been established.
South Sudan has long been one of the most dangerous countries in the world for aid workers, with attacks and kidnappings increasing in 2025. In the first half of the year, 25 aid workers or contractors were killed or injured, compared with 15 in the same period the previous year. The vast majority of aid workers who have been victims of violence have been from South Sudan, according to the UN.
Earlier this month, the United States warned it could cut foreign aid to South Sudan, accusing the government of charging exorbitant fees to aid groups and hampering operations.
UNMISS is scaling back its activities following a 15% budget cut. The reduction comes amid a sharp resurgence of fighting that has killed more than 1,000 civilians, some in indiscriminate bombings or extrajudicial killings by security forces, the UN human rights office said.
