Analysis: Three Possible Causes of Lual Marine’s Death Explained
By Justice Garang Sebit.
Col. Lual Akook Wol Kiir being attended at the hospital following the incident at the Sharikat-Bor park(Photo credit: supplied)
June 3, 2020(SSNN) — Many South Sudanese, those outraged and observers alike, are still wondering if Col. Lual Marine, a nephew who is believed to be a biological son of President Salva Kiir Mayar, is actually dead. Lual is dead but his controversies are not dead.
First, the question of who was Lual Marine and how he relates to president Salva Kiir rocked many discussions within the last 24 hours but the major concerns was not just his identity but whether or not he would have gotten away with the massacre of five people like he did in the past. Lual is believed to have killed the Nuer during the door-to-door massacres of the Nuer in December 2013.
He is also believed to have killed a member of national security and now he killed another five people in one day and injured more than eight people. The past incidents did not raise protests simply because they were hidden from public eyes.
He might have killed other people as an unknown gunman but all went without demand of justice but the latest massacres was the turning point, not only for Lual but also for the family of president Salva Kiir, the man who groomed this assassin and now remains silent. Kiir has supervised death for most parts of his career and therefore this incident cannot shake him. This raises many questions but the major concern is what exactly could have killed Lual Marine if he did not sustain gunshots. Here are three possible explanations on what exactly could have killed Lual.
1. Death from injuries
Lual Marine was beaten up as shown in viral pictures but it remains questionable how a well armed and well guarded notorious officer was beaten up so severely to the extend that he could die from the injuries but none of his bodyguards was injured or sustained critical injuries.
Throughout the decades of civil war, the bodyguards have been acting as the shield for their commanders and when any insecurity arises, it is the bodyguard that takes the first shot. How is it that none of the bodyguards who fired shots sustained serious injuries or die on the scene? This is a question that can only be answered by the police and national security officers who arrived first on the scene. Was Lual beaten up by civilians or was he beaten up by other officers?
Whatever the case, let’s assume that this version holds and therefore it led to his death from brain and internal injuries. This can be a possible causes of death but many questions remain to be answered.
2. Assassinated to cover up Evidence and to protect the first family
It is possible that if Lual did not die from injuries, he could have been sacrificed by his immediate family members with direct permission from President Kiir or he could have been silenced by Kiir’s loyalists who want to protect the embarrassment the first family is currently facing.
On the list of suspects is someone named Thiik Thiik Mayardit. According to the speculations, Thiik Thiik might have strangled Lual Marine to death to conceal evidence and to avoid possible escalation of what might lead to Dinka-Bor vs Dinka-Bhar el Ghazal conflict or to major protests that may over throw Salva Kiir from power.
As speculations go, and someone like Valetino Wol known as Dinka-chick, has spoken publicly on this calling on those who are organizing protests for tomorrow to back down pleading that Lual is already dead and therefore there is no need for “Salva Kiir Must Go” protests. Valentino acknowledged that what Lual did was wrong and his killing is also wrong but she believes that the rest should be managed by the Dinka Council of Elders without the need to protest.
These speculations cannot be verified but they make sense. Either way, Lual has died and his death was not from natural occurrence. The call for justice remains valid for his victims but one more possible cause of his death need to be looked at.
3. Marriage complications
According to Dinka traditions, which is also the case in many African cultures, blood cousins like what was recently organized in J1 are not usually permitted by elders to proceed. The elders believe that such marriages do not please the ancestors and worst come to worst they may lead to death of both couples or one of the couples otherwise they can lead to birth complications and genetic disorders.
In some cultures it is okay for a nephew and uncle or even two brothers to marry from the same household, however, it is not acceptable in Dinka culture for a biological son to marry his step mother’s nieces. There are no scientific explanations or genetic complication for this but such a family is considered to be one family and thus such cousins are not usually allowed to marry.
According to Dinka elders, the marriage of Lual Marine Akook Wol Kiir, who is a nephew and a biological son (fathered by Kiir following the death of Akook Wol according to Dinka culuture) of President Salva Kiir, and the Bride Mia Ayen Gregory, a niece to the First Lady Mary Ayen Mayardit, disappointed the ancestors and his complicated death could be a spiritual calling to send a strong message to the Dinka elders.
Whichever the cause of his death, Lual was plugged into the army without proper training. He was also given unequivocal powers and privileges by the first family and therefore, the person to be blamed for spoiling this deceased is the president himself. Lual is not the first child or relative of the president to be on the news for controversies like this and therefore the justice that is being demanded is not to hold only Lual and his bodyguards accountable but to hold the entire reckless first family responsible!
You can reach the author of this analysis through his email at garangchol@gmail.com,
The opinions and press releases expressed in this commentary are solely those of the authors, any veracity lies solely on the authors or the institutions represented by the authors. View more opinionarticles and press releases on SSNN. To get your article published, visit our contact page here or send your email to info.ssnewsnow@gmail.com
Facebook Comments