Two senior rebel officials loyal to South Sudan’s former First Vice President Riek Machar have mysteriously disappeared in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, a spokesman for the SPLM-IO faction in Nairobi and relatives said.

Pouk Both Baluang, spokesperson for the SPLM-IO faction in Nairobi, told Radio Tamazuj today that the former deputy chairperson of the SPLM-IO committee for constitutional affairs Dong Samuel Luak and chairperson of the SPLM-IO committee for humanitarian affairs Aggrey Idri Izbon are missing amid mysterious circumstances in Nairobi.

“On Monday at night, Comrade Dong Samuel left the town and went towards his home in south C around 9:00 pm, but in the morning, we were informed by his family that he didn’t reach home,” said Pouk.

“Also today morning, Comrade Aggrey Idri went outdoors in the morning, he went to do some exercise in the morning, unfortunately, he didn’t return back home up to now,” he added.

The rebel spokesman pointed out that the Kenyan authorities denied knowledge of the disappearance of the two opposition officials in Nairobi.”We cannot accuse anybody now, but we can say that they have been kidnapped by unknown gunmen, because I think it is a coordinated plan,” said Pouk.

Meanwhile, Aggrey’s wife confirmed that her husband disappeared in Nairobi today morning. “ Every morning he goes outdoors to do some exercise early in the morning for about one hour, so he went to visit his sister in Adams area, he reached home and greeted them, and then he left but he didn’t return back home up to now,” she said.

She pointed out that the family is concern about Aggrey’s safely, saying they open a case with the police. “I am now worried because I heard that Dong Samuel is also missing, I don’t know what happened, I am worried,” she said.

In November 2016, Machar’s former spokesman James Gatdet Dak was deported back to Juba by Kenyan officials over issues related to a Facebook post in which he expressed support for the removal of Lt. Gen. Johnson Mogoa Kimani Ondieki, the Kenyan top officer in the UN mission in South Sudan.

File photo: Aggrey Idri (Left) and Dong Samuel (Right)/ Facebook