Gadafi Athorbey Guet - Courtesy

A relative who spoke to Eye Radio on the condition of anonymity on Thursday stated that authorities denied the family access to Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit, after they confirmed his presence at the military detention.

On Wednesday, Amnesty International Kenya issued a statement on Wednesday warning that the transfer of Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit to South Sudan presents a direct threat to his safety and legal rights.

Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit holds dual South Sudanese and Kenyan citizenship. According to a police report filed by his wife in Nairobi, masked individuals took him on Tuesday at approximately 3:00 AM, placing him into a vehicle after he departed a venue on the outskirts of Nairobi.

His wife, told Reuters on Thursday that her husband was abducted in Kenya and transferred to the capital of South Sudan.

“I have no idea where he is currently being held in Juba and I am worried about his health and the conditions that he is being kept in,” she stated to Reuters.

According to Reuters, South Sudan government officials and Korir Sing’Oei, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kenya, both stated they lacked information regarding the incident. A spokesperson for the Kenyan police did not respond to requests for comment.

The disappearance follows a pattern of incidents in Kenya involving the abduction or deportation of foreign nationals to jurisdictions where they allege risks of political persecution.

Tibor Nagy, who served as United States Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, commented on the development via social media, noting a shift in security conditions for individuals seeking refuge within Nairobi.

The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not issue a response to inquiries regarding the criticism. In previous instances of extraterritorial transfers, authorities in Kenya have either denied knowledge of the actions or cited cooperation with official requests from foreign governments.

Kenyan rights activist Boniface Mwangi stated to Reuters that he met with Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit in April. According to Mwangi, the businessman indicated he had shared documentation concerning institutional corruption in South Sudan with media professionals and diplomats, and believed he had become a target for state security agencies as a result.

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan previously documented extraterritorial operations by South Sudanese security forces in neighboring countries, including Kenya and Uganda, in a report issued in 2023. The findings detailed instances of renditions, surveillance, and threats directed at dissidents.

Reuters reported that the government of South Sudan has consistently rejected assertions of systematic human rights violations by its state agencies.