April 26th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan’s acting SPLA chief of defense forces Lt Gen. Gabriel Jok Riak has remained in comma after being evacuated to Nairobi subsequently after complaining of chest pain, sources attached in Nairobi, Kenya, told the Nyamilepedia.
On Thursday afternoon, General Jok was flown to the Kenyan capital after reportedly complaining of stomach and chest pain. He was supposed to accompany to the defunct Northern Bahr Al-Ghazal state capital Aweil the body of his former boss,1st Lt. Gen. James Ajongo Mawut who died in a military hospital in the Egyptian capital Cairo last Friday  when he “suddenly” fall sick.
A family source who is in Nairobi said the acting army chief has been in comma since this afternoon.
“After he arrived, he was suddenly rushed to the hospital. But the doctior told us that Jok has gone to comma,” the family source said on the condition of anonymity.
Contradicting accounts
By the time of Jok’s evacuation, there were no well established reasons why the high-ranking SPLA officer immediately fall sick. Family and military sources alike provided contradicting accounts on reasons why the acting army chief fall sick.
A military source in Bilpam said the former army chief fall sick on Wednesday evening after a dinner at his office in Bilpam while other source said he got sick as his health has been deteriorating for the last one year without explaining over what basis.
A family source said Jok is sick because of the workload the later had been undergoing since the departure of the Chief of Defense forces last week and had not taken rest since then while another family source said Jok has been suffering from diabetes and high-blood pressure for the last two decades.
“General Jok Riak has been suffering from high-blood pressure for 18 years. In addition to that, he also has diabetes but his health has been going very well and we were surprised for what happened yesterday evening,” the family source revealed.
General Jok has been a close ally of President Salva Kiir since the later succeeded Dr John Garang de Mabior after a mysterious plane crash in July 2005 to become the Sudanese First Vice President and the President of the then Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS). He remained loyal to president Salva Kiir even last year when 70% of the army rebelled in December 2013 to protest the the mass killing of the Nuer civilians that took place shortly after the SPLM National Convention in the nation’s capital Juba.
In July 2015, the United Nations Security Council imposed on General Jok Riak – among many other high-ranking military officers – a travel ban and an asset freeze after accusing him of threatening peace and stability of the young African nation. Prior to this, the United States Department of Treasury accused Gen. Jok of engaging in actions that obstructs peace talks or processes and that he was in command of government forces who were responsible for violation of many ceasefires signed by the government and the opposition.
However, despite the designation by the United States and the imposition of sanctions by the United Nations Security council against Gen. Jok, President Salva Kiir promoted him last year to become the SPLA Deputy Chief of Defense Forces.
The fact that he comes second in the SPLA command, he is highly expected to replace his predecessor who died last week in Cairo.
1 comment
Most of Generals needs to wake up and distance themselves from Coups. Riek Machar is very danger since he doesn’t care about his own people. Coup either you get rid of them or they get rid of you.