SPLM party official goes missing in Khartoum

An SPLM party official has gone missing under mysterious circumstances in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Thursday, his colleague said.

An SPLM party official has gone missing under mysterious circumstances in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Thursday, his colleague said.

John Gideon, secretary of political mobilization of the defunct SPLM-IO group led by Taban Deng in Khartoum, told Radio Tamazuj that the chairman of the defunct SPLM-IO chapter in Khartoum, Mach Yak Dau went missing on Thursday.

In May this year, South Sudan's First Vice President and former rebel Taban Deng Gai folded his party into the ruling party led by President Salva Kiir.

Gideon pointed out that they lodged a missing person's report at police stations and National Security detention centers in Khartoum.

Dong Gai, a relative of Mach Yak, said the SPLM official was reportedly kidnapped near Alzaiem Alazhari University on Thursday afternoon.

“We do not know his whereabouts until now because his phones are turned off. The government of Sudan said it was not aware of the incident,” he said.

Dong pointed out that Mach has been receiving threat messages from unknown people. “Mach is very active politically. He is the one who arranged the recent meeting between President Kiir and South Sudanese chiefs in Khartoum,” he said.