A video that shows South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit, urinating on himself at a public function, is trending on social media.
The 71-year-old, has been the president of the troubled northeast African country since its founding in 2011.
South Sudanese voted overwhelmingly in favour of their independence from Sudan in January 2011, with 98.83% of voters reportedly preferring to split from the North.
On 9 July 2011, South Sudan became an independent State, with Kiir as its first president.
Kiir positioned himself as a reformer, using his inaugural address to call for the South Sudanese people “to forgive though we shall not forget” injustices imposed at the hands of the northern Sudanese over the preceding decades and announce a general amnesty for South Sudanese groups that had warred against the SPLM in the past.
A few weeks later, he publicly addressed members of the military and police to warn them that rape, torture, and other human rights violations carried out by armed personnel would be considered criminal acts and prosecuted aggressively by the Ministry of Justice.
His presidency was characterized as a period of reconstruction, albeit one marred by with internal and foreign disputes.
Among these were the Heglig Crisis, which caused a border war with Sudan, and an internal political crisis in which attempts were made to overthrow him.
He has continued to preside over a protracted conflict which has kept the country underdeveloped, with about 82 per cent of its citizens in poverty.
It is not clear whether Mayardit will seek to extend his 13-year grip on power with clear underlying health issues, but the country will be marching to the polls in 2023 for the first time since its founding.
The elections, which were first scheduled for 2015, have been postponed thrice owing to various factors, including an attempted coup.
Reacting to the viral video, @ifesinachileo said: “I am sure they re younger people hired to defend him and tell the world how he is healthy and sound.”
@firstklasboss tweeted what Festus Keyamo would have said if it was his preference presidential candidate in Nigeria.
“Keyamo: He wasn’t Urinating, he was trying a new technology he invented in Lagos which can detect if there is oil under the ground.”
“@WildCardOffcial this the same thing Tinubu will do. May Tinubu happen to you entire generation,” @TatafoTV11 wrote.
@iamjennenna tweeted: “The exact reason we are stopping Agbado from embarrassing Nigeria.”
@succesagroupng, while reacting, also said: “We can say “God forbid” from today till tomorrow but the truth is nothing will happen unless something make it happen.
In the same vein, @Ego4Phil wrote: “Bola Tinubu of south sudan. God forbid Bola Tinubu and his supporters.”
“If we don’t want a disgrace like this as our next president, we need to be intentional about it and take actions with our voters card.”