Eastern Equatoria State’s Minister of Peacebuilding, Marko Lokidor Lochapio, has been reported missing along with a government vehicle, raising concerns over his whereabouts.
Lokidor, appointed under the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) party led by First Vice President Riek Machar, disappeared last month. Machar has been under house arrest in Juba since March.
In a press statement, Eastern Equatoria’s Minister of Information, Elia John Ahaji, confirmed Lokidor’s disappearance and said preliminary reports suggested the government vehicle—registration number RSS EEG 143A—may have been taken across the border and sold in Uganda.
“The Government of Eastern Equatoria State would like to inform the public that Minister of Peacebuilding Hon. Marko Lokidor Lochapio has disappeared along with the government vehicle,” Ahaji said. “Preliminary, unconfirmed reports suggest that the vehicle has been taken across the border and sold in Uganda. Additionally, it is said that the minister left the state using a motorcycle, heading toward a neighboring country.”
“The government is currently investigating this matter and urges anyone with relevant information to come forward,” the statement added.
Jildo Abala, acting SPLM-IO chairperson and Eastern Equatoria’s Minister of Roads, told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday the party was deeply concerned.
“We are worried. For the last three or four days, we have been looking for him. We don’t know his whereabouts. We tried our best to trace him, but all in vain,” Abala said.
However, Ausilio Odume Raimondo, the state’s Director General for Peacebuilding, said Lokidor had been absent for two months but claimed to be handling personal matters.
“He informed me that he had taken permission from the governor to attend to family issues,” Raimondo said. “I communicated with him, and he told me he is okay. I asked if he was in Kapoeta, and he said yes. When I asked when he would return, he said he was still preparing.”
Jimmy Kilang Silverio, interim chairperson of the state’s Civil Society Network, urged authorities to investigate Lokidor’s disappearance and ensure accountability.
“The code of conduct for ministers should be enforced. If someone deserts office without permission, there is a problem,” Silverio said. “The government must trace his whereabouts. The missing vehicle should be returned—if he no longer wants to work, he should be relieved transparently.”
Attempts by Radio Tamazuj to reach Lokidor were unsuccessful, as his phone was switched off. Pal Mai Deng, national Minister of Irrigation and SPLM-IO spokesperson, could not be immediately reached for comment.
Lokidor, who also serves as SPLM-IO secretary-general in Eastern Equatoria, was among officials suspended on 23 June by a breakaway faction of the SPLM-IO recognized by President Salva Kiir’s group following Machar’s arrest.
The arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar has significantly disrupted the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement and raised serious concerns about the country’s stability.
Machar’s arrest, which his party described as a collapse of the 2018 peace deal, has led to renewed fighting in some parts of the country and internal divisions within the SPLM-IO.
Some senior SPLM-IO officials loyal to Machar have either gone into hiding or fled to neighboring countries.