JUBA The United Nations voiced concern on Friday for the safety of a top aide to South Sudanese former vice president Riek Machar after he was extradited to his homeland from Kenya, where he had been granted refugee status.South Sudan's 2015 peace accord unraveled three months ago when forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and to estranged ex-deputy Machar battled each other on the streets of Juba for several days. Machar subsequently fled South Sudan and has since been replaced as vice president although he has exhorted his supporters to reorganize for an armed struggle. Machar's spokesman James Gatdet Dak also fled the country, finding sanctuary in Kenya, but police collected him from his Nairobi home on Wednesday and put him on a flight to South Sudan's capital Juba the next day, officials said. "He was deported from Nairobi by the Kenyan authorities and received by the South Sudanese government authorities,” presidential spokesman, Ateny Wek Ateny told Radio Tamazuj, a South Sudanese radio station based abroad.
Ateny could not be reached by Reuters for clarification of Gatdek Dak's current status. A Kenyan government source confirmed Gatdet Dak's extradition but did not explain the legal grounds for it.
The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said it was "deeply concerned about the well-being" of Gatdek Dak and said his extradition appeared to violate his right to protection under the international refugee convention.UNHCR said it had unsuccessfully urged Kenyan authorities not to extradite Gatdet Dak. Kenya has taken part in African Union mediation to end the South Sudanese conflict and President Uhuru Kenyatta recently visited Juba for talks with Kiir.
Amnesty International called Gatdek Dak's repatriation a "brazen and dangerous attack on refugee rights" and said he now faced a "grave risk of torture and other ill-treatment." (Reporting by Denis Dumo; writing by Elias Biryabarema; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Newer articles:
- Fears after Kenya deports South Sudan rebel spokesman - 05/11/2016 13:17
- U.S. Diplomat Who Helped South Sudan Says He’s Appalled by Strife There - 04/11/2016 19:39
- Explosive Hazards in South Sudan Put Residents at Risk - 04/11/2016 17:36
- S. Sudan Humanitarian Crisis Worsening as Famine Looms - 04/11/2016 15:06
- South Sudan Crisis Strains Uganda’s Exemplary Refugee Welcome - 04/11/2016 13:05
Older news items
- Famine looms in South Sudan as war threatens harvest: WFP - 04/11/2016 09:07
- Kenya deports South Sudan rebel leader's spokesman - 04/11/2016 08:42
- Kenya deports South Sudan rebel official over Facebook post - 04/11/2016 07:59
- UN’s Ban Ki-moon fires South Sudan peacekeeping general after report - 01/11/2016 15:44
- UN mission in South Sudan 'failed to protect civilians' - 01/11/2016 14:27
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan vows probe after two Ethiopian peacekeepers killed in Jonglei ambush; Ethiopia, UN and Egypt condemn attack - 26/08/2026 13:06
- Dozens killed in rebel attacks on Sudan’s Kordofan, medical group says - 26/08/2026 13:03
- The truth about the South Sudanese vice president being prevented from travelling to Kenya - 26/08/2026 13:01
- WHO Regional Office Country Focus Coordinator visits South Sudan to strengthen health sector support - 26/08/2026 12:58
- South Sudanese Catholic Bishop Presents Women’s Leadership as Alternative Ahead of First-Ever General Election - 26/08/2026 12:56
Random articles (all categories):
- Sudan’s TMC Generals Must be Held Accountable for Violent Repression Against Civilians Demanding a Democratic Government - 30/06/2019 18:56
- Marrying Off South Sudan’s Girls for Cows - 24/05/2013 03:20
- Invitation: Congressional Black Caucus Foundation - 13/09/2010 06:05
- Connecting with South Sudan - 15/08/2021 10:00
- South Sudan conflict: Omar al-Bashir and Salva Kiir meet to discuss battle - 09/01/2014 17:02
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 148871 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 27997 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 25081 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 24390 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 22336 times
