Human rights organisation Amnesty International has claimed that a South Sudanese whistleblower who disappeared in Nairobi earlier this week was unlawfully deported to South Sudan and is currently being held at a military detention facility in Juba.
The whistleblower, Athorbey Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit, a dual South Sudanese-Kenyan citizen, reportedly vanished after being seized by armed men in Nairobi in the early hours of June 11.
In a statement posted on X, Amnesty International said it had obtained credible information regarding his whereabouts.
“We have received credible information that Athorbey Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit was unlawfully deported to South Sudan and is currently being held at a military detention facility in Juba,” Amnesty stated.
According to a police report filed by his wife, the 51-year-old was allegedly abducted at around 3 a.m. after leaving a casino on the outskirts of Nairobi. Witnesses told investigators that armed and masked individuals forced him into a white vehicle before driving away.
Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit had reportedly been living in Nairobi and had become known for raising concerns about alleged corruption within the South Sudanese government. Sources close to the case say he had repeatedly expressed fears for his safety due to his outspoken criticism of powerful figures in Juba.
“He repeatedly warned that his life was in danger because he was exposing corruption linked to South Sudan’s ruling elite,” a representative familiar with the matter told AFP.
His disappearance comes amid growing concern over the safety of political dissidents and activists living in Kenya. Human rights groups have raised alarm over a series of cases involving foreign nationals who were allegedly abducted or deported from Kenya to countries where they face political persecution.
Reacting to reports of Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit’s disappearance, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy criticized the situation.
“Nairobi used to be safe for those seeking refuge from authoritarian regimes. It seems that’s over. Too bad!” Nagy wrote on X.
The case has drawn comparisons to previous incidents involving foreign opposition figures and activists. Among them is Kizza Besigye, who was reportedly abducted in Kenya in November 2024 and later appeared before a military court in Uganda facing treason charges.
Human rights organisations have also cited cases involving Turkish and Tanzanian dissidents allegedly seized while in Kenya.
Amnesty International has previously warned that Kenya, once regarded as a safe haven for exiles and political dissidents in East Africa, risks becoming complicit in cross-border repression if such incidents continue.
In earlier cases, Kenyan authorities have either denied involvement in reported abductions or maintained that they were cooperating with lawful requests from foreign governments.
The alleged detention of Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit comes against the backdrop of increasing scrutiny of South Sudan’s governance.
A United Nations report released last year accused senior officials of diverting billions of dollars in oil revenues while large sections of the population continued to lack access to essential public services.
Neither the Kenyan nor South Sudanese governments had publicly commented on Amnesty’s latest claims by the time of publication.
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