South Sudan’s fragile political landscape was jolted Saturday after the opposition admitted it misidentified a prisoner as a slain bodyguard. In a statement, the SPLA-IO opposition said an old photo from Rumbek prison was mistakenly believed to show the death of Luka Gathok Nyuon. The party had earlier claimed Nyuon, once a bodyguard to opposition leader and former vice-president Riek Machar, had died in government custody.
Spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel acknowledged the error, saying the photograph circulated online did not depict their “fallen comrade,” though Nyuon’s fate remains unclear. The opposition later reiterated that Nyuon had indeed died while detained in Juba, renewing anger over the government’s treatment of political prisoners.
President Salva Kiir’s administration has detained dozens of opposition figures in recent months, accusing them of plotting unrest and destabilising the fragile state. Opposition leaders counter that Kiir has dismantled the 2018 power-sharing deal, which was meant to end a civil war that killed 400,000 people.
Machar, Kiir’s long-time rival, has been stripped of the vice-presidency and is due in court Monday on treason and crimes against humanity charges. Authorities accuse him of directing an attack on a military base by the Nuer-led White Army militia, charges his party insists are fabricated.
Supporters allege more than 100 of Machar’s allies have been held “under very harsh conditions,” including torture, starvation, and denial of medical care. South Sudan, one of the world’s poorest nations, has endured relentless turmoil since independence in 2011, its fragile hopes for peace repeatedly shattered by violence.
