Fact-check: No SSPDF general committed suicide in Rumbek, South Sudan.

The photo has been online since March 2024, and it originated in Kenya, with media reports indicating it is of a Kenyan teacher who committed suicide after he lost 900,000 Kenyan shillings in gambling. No SSPDF general committed suicide in Rumbek.

Writer: Makur Majeng

A photo shared in a post by Phow Radio FM, a Facebook page, claiming the South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) general has committed suicide in Rumbek is false.

“This morning, full confirmed report, an SSPDF senior officer, Gen. Bol Mawien Agany, has reportedly taken his life by hanging outside Rumbek town. His family narrates to Phow Radio FM that, “It was yesterday at 9PM once our father got a call from the top leadership in Juba, assuring him to immediately report himself to Bilpam to lead the new forces to hotspot Nasir under the control of White Army. “This morning, we thought our father went to town, but unfortunately found hanging on the nearby tree,” reads the false claim.

The screenshot of the Facebook post

Rumbek is the state capital of Lakes State in South Sudan.

Claim Verification

Upon investigation, it was found that the claim made by Phow Radio FM is false. Our research indicates that the photo shared by the page was not captured in South Sudan. Instead, it was used in multiple Kenyan media reports about an unrelated suicide case.

A simple Google reverse image search revealed that the same image was posted by multiple Kenyan news outlets, including:

Mt Elgon Online TV Kenya: “Shock as JS teacher in Keiyo North commits suicide after losing Ksh 900,000 to aviator betting moments after taking a bank loan.”

Bomet Newspaper: “Shock as JS teacher in Keiyo North commits suicide after losing Ksh 900,000 to aviator betting moments after taking a bank loan.”

This confirms that the photo is unrelated to any event in South Sudan and was misused to spread false information.

Additionally, there is no public official statement made by the South Sudan People’s Defence (SSPDF) concerning the alleged suicide committed by the SSPDF general. 

On the other hand, local sources in Rumbek have also confirmed that no such incident happened.

“We have tried to consult, but there is no such news around Rumbek here today,” said the Good News Radio station director, Raphael Makuei, after he was contacted by 211 Check.

Conclusion

211 Check has found the claim in a post by Phow Radio FM, claiming the SSPDF general hanged himself with a rope on a tree as suicide in Rumbek to be false. The photo shared was taken in Kenya and has been widely circulated in Kenyan media. There is no credible evidence to support the claim made by Phow Radio FM.

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