By Yiep Joseph
First Vice President (FVP) Dr. Riek Machar has called on the international community to intervene as 2018 peace agreement faces challenges.
According to a letter addressed to UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, Machar pointed that the deteriorating security situation in South Sudan need interventions.
“The R-ARCSS is faced with serious challenges. There is fear from our past that these challenges including the Ugandan intervention may lead to a collapse of the agreement. We therefore impress upon AUPSC, IGAD and the UNSC to intervene.” the letter reads in part.
Dr. Machar also questioned the legitimacy of the Uganda People Defense Forces (UPDF) already deployed in South Sudan, citing it as a violation to the peace agreement as well as UN security council resolution.
“The Ugandan military entered South Sudan fully equipped with armoured and air force units in violation of UN Security Council resolution 2428 extended in May 2024 which imposed an arms embargo on South Sudan,” the letter read in part.
Dr. Machar expressed commitment to ensure that the challenges to the 2018 peace agreement are addressed.
“The SPLM-IO also reiterates its commitment to peace and peaceful resolutions of all the challenges hindering the country, including the R-ARCSS” he said in a letter.
However, the current challenges to the 2018 peace agreement include confrontations between armed parties to the peace agreement, lack of consultations between parties among others.
On March 17, the South Sudan Minister of Information confirmed that the UPDF “are currently stationed in Juba” adding that their presence is in accordance with a longstanding military agreement between the two nations.
In a press conference, Michael Makuei explained that the military pact between South Sudan and Uganda dates back to joint operations against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and has been in effect ever since.
Meanwhile, Machar said the Ugandan army has entered the country illegally, adding that the 10th January 2014 Status of Force Agreement between both countries was not signed by the current transitional government but by the previous.
Recently the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) reaffirmed its commitment to 2018 peace agreement, assuring the public that the regime will not lead the country back to war.
Michael Makuei Lueth, Minister of Information, Communication Technology, and Postal Services, who also serves as the government spokesperson, made this statement during a media briefing.
Makuei’s statement came in response to reports of the arrest of members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-in-Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) in Juba, which raised concerns among the public.
In his address to journalists, Makuei reiterated President Salva Kiir’s commitment to ensuring that the country does not return to war.
He acknowledged that the recent arrests and ongoing conflicts in some areas present challenges to the peace agreement, but he expressed confidence that the issues can be resolved.
“All these activities seem to be taking people back to war, we are not taking people back to war that is why we are talking, if we are taking people back to war, we could have work in silence,” Makuei said.
“Our president (Salva Kiir) has committed himself several times once and every time that he will not take you back to war, so we are not taking anybody to war,” he added.
“All that is happening these are normal ups and downs in the implementation of any agreement so people should not just be frightened that the agreement is collapsing,” he expressed.
Makuei urged the public to remain calm, assuring them that the government is fully in control of the current challenges facing the peace agreement.