"This is a mere lie, there is nothing as such, Salva Kiir has not even been sick," Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth told journalists in Juba, slamming "wild rumours" he said aimed to divide the people of South Sudan. The rumours have been doing the rounds on Twitter, and even spread as far as Uganda where Kiir, 65, was reported to have fled for medical treatment. South Sudan, which gained independence in July 2011, descended into war just two and a half years later when Kiir in December 2013 accused his former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup. Machar, who fled to Khartoum in the July fighting, on Wednesday left for South Africa for medical tests. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Wednesday said it was "extremely concerned over increased reports of violence and armed conflict in various parts of the country in the last few weeks."

Source: Daily Nation October 13, 2016 03:50 UTC