National Parliament|Photo by Obaj Okuj|04-06-2024

The National Legislative Assembly has passed the National Security Service Act 2015 Amendment Bill 2024, maintaining the controversial arrest without warrant clause.

This is contrary to last year’s consensus between President Salva Kiir and his First Deputy Dr Riek Machar that Articles 54 and 55 mandate the National Security Service to arrest without warrant should be scrapped.

However, after a long and heated debate today, the National Legislative Assembly passed the long-overdue National Security Service Act.

Before its passage, the bill was presented in its third reading stage by Hon. Kom Kom Geng, the chairperson of the Committee on National Security and Public Order.

“The amendment by the NCAC as a legal body constituted by the Revitalized Peace Agreement prevails and should be maintained. Therefore, the Committee observed that Section 54 of the National Security Act, 2024 is amended and improved in Section 57 of the Amendment Bill, 2024.

“In addition, the joint Committee also noted that Section 55 of the Bill was not proposed for amendment by NCAC.”

During the session, lawmakers had serious disagreements over Sections 54, 55, and 57 of the National Security Service Act 2014 Amendment Bill 2024.

Members from SPLM-IO and SSOA supported the removal of these sections, while members from SPLM advocated for their retention.

When the members failed to reach a consensus on the bill, they decided to proceed with a vote to pass the law.

In the final vote, 274 members voted in favor, and 114 were opposed to it, with 3 MPs absent.

The quorum for Wednesday’s session was 391 out of 550 members of Parliament. ” So, the whole national Security Service bill is passed in totality with all the sections and articles as presented including 54 and 55, said Oliver.

The bill was passed into law in the presence of the Director of the Internal Bureau of the National Security Service, as well as the Ministers of Interior, Labor, Environment, and Parliamentary Affairs, among others.

President Kiir is now expected to sign the Bill into law within 30 days. If the President does not sign the bill within 30 days, it will automatically become law.