A bodyguard for South Sudan’s suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, who died in military custody last month, was buried Wednesday morning as his family raised doubts about the official explanation for his death and vowed to seek justice.
Capt. Luka Gathok Nyuon, who was in his 40s, died on Thursday, Sept. 18, while being held at the Jamus military detention center in the capital, Juba. He was arrested in March, shortly after Machar was placed under house arrest.
Nyuon, a native of Mayom County, was laid to rest at Jebel Cemetery after his family received his body from military authorities.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj from the burial site, a family member said the family was given an autopsy report stating that Nyuon died from a stomach complication. However, the relative expressed deep skepticism.
“As a family, we are not convinced by the report, because the same people who detained Luka are the very people who carried out the autopsy,” said the relative, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals.
The relative said there were no government security restrictions at the burial, and that some of Nyuon’s colleagues, who had been detained with him and later freed, attended the burial.
Those former detainees offered a different account of Nyuon’s death, the relative said, alleging he died due to hunger and sickness after a long time battling disease in prison without proper medical care.
“Our first concern was to ensure he is buried with dignity, like any other person,” the relative said. “Currently, we are meeting at the late’s house. After the prayers, we shall decide as a family how to pursue justice.”
The death of the bodyguard in detention comes amid heightened political and security tensions in South Sudan. Machar, a longtime rival of President Salva Kiir, was suspended from his position as First Vice President following his arrest. He is now facing proceedings in a special court in Juba, accused of having a role in violence that occurred in Nasir in March 2025.
The government has not yet issued an official public statement on Nyuon’s death.