Opinion,
By Nicholas Osobi,
April 19th, 2019(Nyamilepedia) — The leadership of SPLM-IO was quick to extend condolence to the family and relatives of Late Gen. Peter Gatdet but couldn’t do the same to the family of Gen. Martin Kenyi who is presumed dead. It has been nearly 3 years since he went missing in the jungle of western equatorial at the peak of South Sudan bloody conflict and no official explanation has been provided by SPLA IO leadership regarding his disappearance.
Dr. Riek Machar initially claimed that he had given Gen. Kenyi and Elias Jada some secret assignment, and that they would appear at the appropriate time. Later, Machar retracted his own statement and claimed he is yet to ascertain what really transpired and instructed all his field commanders and IO officials not to discuss Kenyi’s issue.Even those who know the truth are unwilling to open up fearing retributions from their unpredictable boss, Dr. Riek Machar.
Only one IO official who is based in Menosota, US (name withheld), admitted that Gen. Martin was indeed murdered, but he refused to explain the circumstance surrounding his death, saying the matter is a high-profile case.
The rumour of his death has been confirmed by Salva Kiir during his recent Bahr El Gazal tour when he told his tribal militia that his Neur brothers helped him in eliminating Gen. Martin Kenyi.
“My Nuer brothers did the job for me. They finished him” Kiir told his jubilant tribal militia in dinka language.
Earlier sources also confirmed that Gen. Martin was killed between 12th and 16th of August 2016 in Maridi near river barnam along with his bodyguards by Nuer General (name withheld for now) with an order from Dr. Riek himself who was believed to have been gripped with paranoia following Gen. Kenyi’s refusal to cross over to DRC with him. Dr. Riek Machar feared, he (Kenyi) would eventually assume the leadership of IO during his absence and therefore chose to murder him in cold blood. Dr.Riek and his chief of staff then warned that no one should issue any statement about Kenyi’s death as he (Riek Machar) would be the one to make an official report about it after one-year period but that one-year period elapsed when he was still in South Africa.
SPLA IO’s refusal to account for the death of Gen. Martin Kenyi, and yet quick to send condolence message when Gen. Gatdet passed on simply confirms that Martin’s disappearance was indeed an inside job and he couldn’t find any convincing lie to the masses who are seemingly all aware of what happened.
A movement that is being underpinned by ideological foundation and fights for national cause values transparency and accountability, but this is lacking in Machar’s SPLA IO. He has made it as personal project which seems to cater for his sole interests and those he considers special as such he sets the rhythm at will and chooses who should and should not partake in it.
Nicholas Osobi is a Revolutionary Columnist, he can be reached through his email at nicholas.osobi@columnist.com
