The spokesman of SPLM-IO rebel leader Riek Machar has denied that he has eye cancer as claimed by South Sudan's Presidential Press Secretary Ateny Wek last Friday.

Ateny Wek on Friday called a press conference to dismiss reports that President Kiir is in poor health. In turn, he claimed that his rival Riek Machar is ill with eye cancer.

“We have information that Riek Machar is suffering from eye cancer but we have never celebrated this because it is not connected to political agenda of the Republic of South Sudan... we have never talked about the disease of Riek Machar,” said Ateny.

Machar's spokesman James Gatdet Dak told Radio Tamazuj on Saturday that this is not true. “Dr. Riek Machar has no eye cancer. He had eye infection in 2012, nearly three years ago. It responded to treatment successfully since then. He has been therefore doing fine.”

The allegations about Machar's health surfaced following speculations that President Salva Kiir has been suffering from kidney and liver diseases.

Gatdet added, “We wish him well in case the media reports are true.”