S. Sudanese opposition leader's spokesperson detained in Kenya

Spokesperson of South Sudanese opposition leader Riek Machar has been detained by Kenyan police after he was picked up at his home in the capital Nairobi.

James Gatdet Dak was reported missing by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) on Wednesday after he issued a statement supporting the dismissal of Kenyan UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan) commander.

“We commend the action taken by the United Nations Secretary General, which we believe will contribute to confidence building among the vulnerable populations in South Sudan,” parts of his statement posted on Facebook read.

“He is detained, and now he is in police custody at the airport,” Lam Chuol Joak, Riek Machar’s emissary to Kenya confirmed the detention to local media on Thursday after the group earlier reported his Gatdet’s “disappearance”.

The reason for the spokesperson’s arrest is not yet known and Kenyan officials are yet to comment on the detention.

Kenya announced on Wednesday that it has withdrawn all of its troops from South Sudan after the decision by the United Nations Secretary General to dismiss the Kenyan commander of UNMISS.

Ban Ki-moon ordered the replacement of Lt. Gen. Johnson Mogoa Kimani Ondieki after an independent report found that under his watch, the UNMISS failed to respond to an attack on civilians by South Sudanese government troops at the Hotel Terrain, less than a mile from a U.N. compound in the capital Juba in July.