Detained South Sudan Ex-Finance Minister's Daughter Dies in Nairobi

Former South Sudan Minister of Finance and Planning Marial Dongrin Ater at a United Nations Development Programme event, February, 2025 (Photo: UNDP)

The daughter of detained former South Sudan Finance Minister Marial Dongrin Ater has died in Nairobi.

Ayen Marial Dongrin passed away on Tuesday morning, April 21, in a Nairobi hospital where she had been receiving treatment. 

According to Sudan Post, she had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Nairobi-based premier hospital after an incident last week. 

Details surrounding her condition prior to her death have not been made public, but there have been reports of a critical fall.

Her death comes days after reported requests from her father to travel from Juba to Nairobi to be by her side in the ICU were denied.

Reports indicate that appeals had been made by family members and other concerned individuals seeking permission for him to travel, but these were not granted.

Members of the public are calling for his temporary release or house arrest to allow him to grieve his daughter’s passing.

The incident has drawn widespread grief from those close to the family and the South Sudanese public.

Family sources described Ayen as a young woman with a promising future, whose death has left a deep sense of loss among relatives and friends.

Messages of condolence have continued to pour in from sympathisers following news of her passing.

Concerns have also been raised over the circumstances surrounding Dongrin’s continued detention. He has been in detention for nearly two months over corruption-related allegations.

Dongrin remains in custody in Juba, with no official communication issued regarding his request to travel or the broader conditions of his detention. 

Source: https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/122788-detained-south-sudan-ex-finance-ministers-daughter-dies-nairobi