The commissioner of Yei River County in Central Equatoria State has said the SSPDF leadership is set to constitute a committee to investigate the circumstances under which Colonel Sabastian Yuma died in military detention in Yei town.
Commissioner Aggrey Cyrus Kanyikwa said the deceased senior SSPDF officer who was deployed in Eastern Equatoria was in Yei for a funeral but had left his station without permission.
“Yuma Sabastian was a colonel in the SSPDF and was deployed in Camp 15 in Eastern Equatoria and he came to Yei to attend a funeral. Apparently, he came without a departure order (permission) and his unit asked the SSPDF unit in Yei if he was here,” he said. “The deceased also did not report his presence to the army unit in Yei and stayed for three weeks so he was summoned to the SSPDF garrison to explain why he was out of his station.”
The commissioner said the deceased was questioned on Thursday and it got late so he was detained with the intention of continuing with the questioning the next morning but the next day the commander traveled to the border.
“So, on the second day, he was found sitting in a chair dead in jail. This is what happened according to the report from the SSPDF commander in Yei,” he said. “The army took the body to the hospital and the doctor said there was blood and froth in and around the deceased’s mouth.”
Kanyikwa said a picture of Col. Yuma’s dead body made rounds on social media and caused trepidation among the people of Yei and a rumor went around that the army killed him.
“I appeal to the people of Yei to remain calm and wait for the details from the committee that is going to be formed to investigate the issue,” he said, adding. “The deceased was also a musician who had many fans and they are hurt but I appeal to them to remain calm.”
For his part, SSSPDF spokesperson Gen. Lul Ruai said Col. Yuma Sabastian was deployed in Division 7 in Eastern Equatoria and has often been traveling to Yei, at times without permission.
“I do not know what exactly happened this last time but when he reached Yei, he was arrested together with his bodyguard by the SSPDF commander there,” he said. “He (Yuma) died in detention and we at the headquarters do not know what exactly killed him.”
“The Chief of Staff is waiting for a report from the commander in Yei about what killed Col. Yuma after a while in detention after which he will form a committee to go and investigate the,” he added.
The late Col. Yuma was a musician who sang a popular song, AKirtalaga, which rallied people to vote for separation during the referendum.