General Gathoth Gatkuoth accuses unnamed opposition figures of killing his wife

JUBA – Former South Sudan main armed opposition commander and ex-minister of Labour and Public Service, General Gathoth Gatkuoth Hothyang, has accused unnamed opposition figures of killing his wife in early October August in Addis Ababa.

On October 2, General Gathoth said in an interview that he was told his wife was found dead in a hotel apartment in Addis Ababa, while her son, who was with her following her return from Sweden, was on a visit to other relatives in Gambella.

Speaking during an exclusive interview with Sudan Tribune on Friday, Gatkuoth said his wife who has been in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for three months, had been pushed down from second floor, by suspected opposition figures.

“Am accusing them because if they failed to get me, they could access my wife, but she was not a politician. She was the wife of a political leader,” said Gatkuoth.

According to the former governor, although initial police investigation showed his wife committed suicide by jumping from the second floor of a building in Addis Ababa, the involvement of some elements within the armed opposition faction cannot be overruled.

“My political opponents can make me pay by killing my wife. They can also do that by a proxy war against my family,” he explained.

Gatkuoth who briefly served as governor of South Sudan’s defunct Latjor state before the country returned to 10 states earlier this year described his late wife as a uniting factor in the family.