The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has received a go-ahead from a Malindi court to exhume bodies suspected to be buried in shallow graves at the Binzaro area in Makongeni, Malindi.

In a statement on Wednesday, July 30, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) revealed that Resident Magistrate Irene Thamara issued the order to allow for further investigation into the suspected religious cult. 

The chief pathologist was thus directed to carry out the exhumation for purposes of postmortem examinations, DNA testing, and toxicological analysis to determine the causes of death.

This is after the prosecution counsel, Judy Gachuru, informed the court that investigators suspect multiple individuals were murdered through starvation and suffocation in what appears to be part of a broader pattern of radicalisation and organised criminal activity.

Since the investigations began, 11 suspects have been identified as masterminds of the suspected cult and are under investigation for their alleged involvement in organised crime, radicalisation, facilitation of terrorism, and murder.

Preliminary investigations have since suggested that the victims may have been starved and suffocated as a result of adopting and promoting extreme religious ideologies. 

More shockingly, interviews with victims rescued from the premises revealed that most of them could not account for the whereabouts of their children, leading investigators to suspect they were buried in shallow graves on the grounds.

“Our preliminary inquiries have so far established the existence of several suspected shallow graves where bodies were concealed,” read part of an affidavit by a DCI investigator.

Therefore, the DCI requested the court to authorise forensic investigations on the exhumed bodies, including autopsies, DNA profiling, and toxicological tests to establish the cause and manner of death of the victims.

In her ruling, Magistrate Thamara also directed the Officer Commanding Malindi Police Division and the Officer Commanding Lango Baya Police Station to provide adequate security during the exhumation process. 

The Public Health Officer for Malindi was also instructed to oversee health and safety measures during the exhumation and ensure the bodies are preserved and stored at Malindi Sub-County Hospital for forensic analysis.

The cult is suspected to have links with the Shakahola religious cult led by Paul Mackenzie, where at least 400 bodies of starved followers, including children, were exhumed in 2023. Mackenzie is currently on trial.

In fact, some of the members rescued are suspected to have belonged to the Shakahola cult. By Maurice Kirambia, Kenyans.co.ke

In a recent opinion piece published by Radio Tamazuj titled “Kiir and Museveni’s Coordinated Effort to Silence Riek Machar,” writer Duop Chak Wuol depicts political suppression, covert security plots, and authoritarian consolidation orchestrated by President Salva Kiir in collaboration with Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni. While the article raises legitimate concerns about South Sudan’s political trajectory, it dangerously veers into a familiar and troubling narrative: ethnic retaliation.

Duop warns that if Dr. Riek Machar is harmed or permanently side-lined from South Sudan’s political arena, there will be “retaliation from the Nuer community” lasting “decades, if not centuries.” This assertion is not only vague and alarmist—it is fundamentally flawed, dangerous, and historically misleading.

First, let us be clear: The power struggle between President Kiir and Dr. Machar is political, not ethnic. These men are not proxies for the Dinka and Nuer communities; they are political figures with diverse support bases. Many Dinka support Dr. Machar, just as many Nuer back President Kiir. Both leaders have faced dissent from within their own ethnic groups over the years.

To reduce Machar to a “Nuer leader” ignores the many Nuers who reject his ideology and oppose his leadership. Similarly, equating Kiir’s political missteps with the entire Dinka community is intellectually lazy and morally dangerous. Political identity must not be conflated with ethnic identity. South Sudanese—whether Nuer, Dinka, Bari, Shilluk, or Zande—are not mere extensions of their ethnic elites. They are individuals with agency, political opinions, and a shared stake in national stability.

Duop’s framing of “Nuer retaliation” overlooks a painful truth: Ethnic violence in South Sudan has rarely targeted those directly responsible for political actions. Instead, it has disproportionately harmed innocent civilians—women, children, the elderly, farmers, and traders—who bear no influence over high-level decisions.

The December 2013 crisis, sparked by political disagreements among elites, swiftly descended into ethnic slaughter. The lesson? When political grievances are framed as ethnic grievances, communities turn against each other. Retaliation becomes collective punishment. That is not justice—it is tragedy.

To echo “Nuer retaliation” as a looming threat borders on incitement. It reinforces tribal divisions, fuels “us versus them” thinking, and undermines the national unity South Sudan desperately needs. Our nation cannot afford another ethnic war fueled by political manipulation and media sensationalism.

Let us not forget: The Dinka and Nuer are brothers. Our cultural ties, intermarriages, and historical alliances run deep. Political manipulation—not inherent ethnic rivalry—has pitted these siblings against each other. Writers who perpetuate ethnic binaries erase our rich history of coexistence and shared struggle.

We must resist stereotyping entire communities based on politicians’ actions. This crisis is a national issue, not a Dinka-versus-Nuer showdown. Dinka are not Kiir. Nuer are not Machar. Both communities suffer under the same failed governance, collapsed healthcare, underfunded schools, floods, and hunger.

Duop’s claim that the Nuer will rise to defend Machar is not only divisive—it is counterproductive. It alienates Dinka advocates calling for Machar’s release and implies only Nuers care about his freedom. Such rhetoric hardens tribal lines and weakens cross-ethnic solidarity in holding leaders—Kiir or Machar—accountable.

Many Dinka oppose Machar’s house arrest, publicly and privately. Some Dinka politicians, per Duop’s own sources, have even leaked intelligence about Kiir’s plans. To omit their resistance is inaccurate and damaging.

Duop appeals to the international community to act pre-emptively. However noble this sounds, it is illusory. The “international community” is not a unified moral force but a collection of self-interested states prioritizing geopolitical stability and resource access over African lives.

Need proof? Look at Gaza. Thousands of civilians—including children—are killed with impunity as powerful Western nations look away or make excuses. Why expect better for South Sudan? If Kiir serves Western interests in oil, security, or minerals, even Machar’s detention or death may barely ripple through embassies.

We, the South Sudanese, must stop outsourcing our protection and future to international whims. Our fate depends on unity, vigilance, and resistance to division.

Machar deserves due process and protection. If his life or political rights are threatened, all South Sudanese—regardless of tribe—should be concerned. But this cannot be framed as a “Nuer cause.” It must be a national cause.

We must rally all South Sudanese—Dinka, Nuer, Equatorians, and others—to defend political freedom, demand transparency, and hold leaders accountable. Our politics must mature beyond bloodlines. If Machar is endangered, every patriot should care—just as Nuers would (and should) protest if Kiir were threatened, not out of tribal loyalty but for justice.

Let us reject ethnicized politics and retaliation narratives. Let us build a civic identity transcending tribe and realize the dream of a united South Sudan.

The real threat to our future is neither the Dinka nor the Nuer. It is the corrupt political elites who divide us to survive. Let us not help them succeed.

The writer, Mading Peter Angong, is a South Sudanese development practitioner, educator, and civic advocate. He writes on governance, education, and peacebuilding in South Sudan. By Mading Peter Angong, Radio Tamazuj

Two men have died after four people were stabbed at a business premises in Southwark, the Metropolitan Police said. A 58-year-old-man died at the scene in central London and three others were taken to hospital where a 27-year-old man died. 

Another man in his thirties has been detained in connection with the incident and remains in a life-threatening condition in hospital.

The quadruple stabbing happened at 1pm on Monday afternoon in Long Lane.

'Shocking incident'

A witness living in the area told the Metro newspaper that while working from home with their windows open, they heard someone outside saying, “in a deep, shallow voice: ‘Help me’.” 

They said they saw paramedics attending a “clothless man on the ground, who seemed to have a wound on his right side of his body, around his chest area or slightly below”.

The man was transferred onto a stretcher alive after around 30 minutes.

Councillor Natasha Ennin, Southwark Council's cabinet member for community safety, said: “I’m horrified and deeply saddened by the deaths of two men in our borough today. My heartfelt condolences go to their families and friends.

“Police have launched a murder investigation and have said this evening they do not believe the incident to be terrorism-related, and that there is no further risk to the public. If you can help police with information please call 101 or report online.

“There are extra police in the Long Lane area this evening and we will remain in close contact with police as they continue their investigation.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Bond, who leads policing for the area, said: “Our investigation is in the early stages and we are working hard to understand the full circumstances of this shocking incident.

“At this point, we do not believe it to be terrorism-related and there is no further risk to the public.

“There will be a heavy police presence in the area throughout today and I would encourage anyone with information to speak with officers or contact the Met by other means.”

A crime scene remains in place and officers continue to investigate the circumstances.