The South Sudan government has denied any responsibility in the disappearances and execution of two prominent members of the opposition SPLM-IO but instead blamed Kenyan officials for the crimes.
Presidential Spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that Dong Samuel Luak, a prominent South Sudanese lawyer and human rights activist and Aggrey Ezbon Idri a member of the opposition SPLM-IO disappeared in Kenya and Kenyan authorities should be held accountable.
“If someone is arrested in Kenya for reasons known to the authorities then the responsibility lies with Kenya. We can only be involved if it is a case of deportation,” Ateny said.
But according to UN report released on April 30, the two men were kidnapped by the South Sudan National Security on 23rd and 24th January 2017 with the help of the South Sudanese Embassy in Nairobi and flown to Juba on 27th same month.
In Juba, the report says, the two men were taken to the National Security Service headquarters and were transferred the same night to another National Security Service detention and training facility in Luri.
However, Ateny says these are baseless allegations.
"There is no conclusive evidence that Dong and Aggrey were brought to Juba and killed in Luri since they were abducted from Nairobi. The presidency is only aware of the kidnapping of James Gatdet who has already been released."
The report said ‘it is highly probable’ that Aggrey Idri and Dong Samuel Luak were executed by Internal Security Bureau agents at the Luri facility on 30 January 2017, on orders from the commander of the National Security Service training and detention facilities in Luri, the Commander of the National Security Service Central Division and, ultimately, Lieutenant General Akol Koor Kuc.