BREAKING | Kiir declares 3-day national mourning as Manawa’s body arrives in Juba

JUBA — President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Monday morning declared a three-day national mourning, just immediately after the body of late Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Manawa Peter Gatkuoth arrived in the capital Juba from Egypt.

Gatkuoth who doubles as the spokesman of the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) passed on in the Egyptian capital on June 19 after he was flown in for specialized treatment from Juba.

He complained of chest paint before he was flown to Egypt.

Earlier this morning, a Egypt-Air flight carrying the casket for late Manawa’s remains landed at Juba International Airport, where the body was directly taken to a church then to Simba Square.

In an announcement made during the funeral prayer at Simba Square in Juba, Kiir declared a three-day national mourning effective today.

“We are now mourning a young man who died prematurely. We have lost a great man,” Kiir told mourners at Simba square.

“He has left behind a family. If you come across them, take care of them. Give them whatever they need,” added the South Sudanese president.

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