A close bodyguard of South Sudan’s suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar has died while in military detention in Juba, family members and colleagues confirmed on Thursday.
The deceased, Captain Luka Gathok Nyuon, a native of Mayom County in his 40s, was arrested in March shortly after Machar was placed under house arrest. He had been detained along with dozens of others at the Jamus military facility.
Family members said they were informed early Thursday morning of his death. “We were told by the military that Luka was sick in detention,” one relative said, adding that the family has not been allowed to view or collect his body from the Giyada military hospital mortuary.
Relatives expressed concern about the circumstances surrounding his death, raising suspicions of possible torture. They called on authorities to release the body and conduct an independent investigation.
Opposition officials also voiced alarm. Alfred Gatmai, the SPLM-IO caucus secretary for information in Mayom County, said Nyuon was denied medical treatment while in detention. “The torture is because they want them to either surrender or denounce their leader,” Gatmai alleged, noting that around 80 of Machar’s bodyguards remain imprisoned.
Human rights activist Edmund Yakani condemned the death, saying: “Any unlawful act that leads to the loss of human life is disturbing. The country has lost many lives due to political disagreements.”
The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions after President Salva Kiir suspended Machar last week and accused him of treason over a March militia attack in Nasir County.
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