The body of Capt. Luka Gathok Nyuon, a bodyguard for South Sudan’s suspended First Vice President Riek Machar who died while in military custody last month, was laid to rest on Wednesday morning. His family expressed doubts about the official cause of death and pledged to seek justice.

Nyuon, in his 40s and originally from Mayom County, passed away on September 18 while detained at the Jamus military facility in Juba. He had been arrested in March, shortly after Machar was placed under house arrest. His body was returned to the family by military authorities and interred at Jebel Cemetery.

At the burial site, a family member told Radio Tamazuj that an autopsy report attributed Nyuon’s death to a stomach complication, but the family remained skeptical. “We do not trust the report because the same authorities who detained Luka conducted the autopsy,” the relative, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, said.

The family noted that no government security restrictions were imposed during the burial. Some of Nyuon’s colleagues, previously detained with him and since released, attended and offered a different version of events, claiming he died from hunger and illness after prolonged incarceration without adequate medical care.

“Our main concern was to ensure he received a dignified burial,” the relative said. “We are now meeting at the family home and will decide together how to pursue justice.”

Nyuon’s death occurs amid rising political and security tensions in South Sudan. Machar, a longstanding rival of President Salva Kiir, was suspended as First Vice President following his arrest and now faces charges in a special court in Juba over alleged involvement in violence in Nasir in March 2025.

The South Sudanese government has not yet made an official public statement regarding Nyuon’s death.