This week, a video which went viral online showed President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan urinating on himself at a public function, to the dismay of his aides and military officers nearby.
The incident took place during the recitation of the national anthem.
Unfortunately, because the event was broadcasted live on television, they could do nothing to rectify the embarrassing situation.
Salva Kiir Mayardit, 71, is believed to be suffering from a urinary tract infection, which is common in older men.
The viral video has elicited mixed reactions from the international community, with many social media users expressing opposing viewpoints.
Some also accused the cameramen of doing a dirty job by disgracing their president, while others said they did the right thing by exposing the President as medically unfit to lead a country.
Amidst the controversy, unverified reports emerged on Friday, December 16, 2022, that the journalist who reportedly shared the scandalous video clip allegedly committed suicide.
“The unethical journalist who shared the video of the President was found to have committed suicide this afternoon in his residence.
According to his note he left on the table, he blamed his friend who shared the video with a former J1 photographer who lost his job in a bitter way.
The decease listed the names of people who deliberately escalated the video and blamed himself for negligence of showing it to a friend.
He lastly asked for forgiveness and prayer so that he gets comfort in eternity,” said a Facebook post that was widely circulated in South Sudan.
This immediately sparked fears of a possible homicide disguised as a suicide.
“This means that South Sudan has liquidated the journalist whom it suspected of being the source of the video clip in which Salva Kiir peed on himself. It is their MO to make official homicide look like suicide. Sad,” one person noted.
This means that South Sudan has liquidated the journalist whom it suspected of being the source of the video clip in which Salva Kiir peed on himself. It is their MO to make official homicide look like suicide. Sad.👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/ArrZMc5rFs
— Olaudah Equiano® (@RealOlaudah) December 16, 2022
But hours later, the news was flagged as misinformation by a Nigerian social media personality who confirmed that the image of the alleged suicide originated from his country and not South Sudan as claimed in the Facebook post.
“This is a lie! The guy in this picture commented suicide in Nigeria because he was owing a lot of debt. There are videos on social media where he was apologizing to his wife before he committed suicide,” Oluleye Adewuyi tweeted.
This is a lie na! The guy in this picture commented suicide in Nigeria because he was owing a lot of debt. There are video on social media where he was apologizing to his wife before he committed suicide.
— Oluleye Adewuyi (@iamleye_) December 17, 2022
