A Sudanese lieutenant, left, receives cash from a South Sudanese officer to buy basic needs during the Red Cross handover in Juba April 2012.

The government of Sudan has released 35 South Sudanese prisoners of war who were captured during 2012 Heglig 

fighting, a human rights activist has said.

In April 2012, South Sudanese forces seized control of Heglig town during the worst fighting between Sudan and South Sudan following the independence in 2011.

Later in 2012, the South Sudan government released thirteen prisoners of war detained when South Sudanese troops captured the oil-producing town on 10 April.

However, the Sudanese government vowed to treat the South Sudanese prisoners of war under international laws.

They were then sentenced to death for war and terrorism-related crimes.

But a human rights activist in Khartoum told Eye Radio this morning that last week, the Sudanese authorities released 35 South Sudanese prisoners of war.

Achol Malong who spoke to Eye Radio from Khartoum said the prisoners who were released from Shala, Port-Sudan, Kariri, and Kobar were serving death sentences.

“They were also charged with war and terrorism crimes against the state. When they were convicted, the government took them to the different prisons all over the country like in Shala of Darfur, Port-Sudan Kariri and Kobar, said Achol.

The human rights activist said some of the freed South Sudanese are Deng Kiir Nhial, Munir James, Kuat Kout Bak, Deng Kuat Deng among others.

“The government brought Deng Kiir Nhial to Kobar and they want to sentence him but amnesty international intervened and stopped the implementation of the death sentence.”

“Also Munir James from Unity State, Kuat Kout Bak, Deng Kuat Deng were convicted with death sentences.  All of them are soldiers. They are 35 people and the authorities have released them.”

“They were captured during the Heglig war between the two countries in 2012. They fell in ambush and they were arrested and put in war prisons of Kariri and they were sentenced to death,” said the human rights activist.

The effort to reach the SSPDF spokesperson at Bilpam military headquarters on the matter was unsuccessful.