By Yiep Joseph
Peace partners are reiterating calls for President Salva Kiir to release First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny to pave way for dialogue.
Following appeals from various stakeholders, including the African Union, several embassies have added their voices, urging President Kiir and the government to release Dr. Machar to allow dialogue a chance.
Dr. Machar has been under house arrest since March following clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the White Army, a militia group, the government claimed is allied to the SPLA-IO.
Despite numerous calls for his release, the government insists that Dr. Machar must first be investigated due to suspicions of communication with the White Army.
Concerned that the situation threatens the peace agreement, the embassies of Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the European Union delegation to South Sudan, issued a joint statement, urging President Kiir to reverse Dr. Machar’s detention.
“We reaffirm our urgent call for President Kiir to reverse the house arrest of First Vice President Machar and for all party leaders to return to dialogue urgently aimed at achieving a political solution,” the statement read in part.
Dr. Machar, who is also the Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), along with some allies, including Minister of Petroleum Puot Kang Chol, have reportedly been detained without charge since March.
This statement aligns with the assessment of the Chairman of the Revitalised Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), which noted a significant decline in stability.
The international partners urgently called on South Sudanese leaders to reverse recent actions that have exacerbated tensions and to return to dialogue to find a political resolution.
The diplomatic missions also condemned recent remarks by Minister of Cabinet Affairs Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, made on April 26, which categorized countries as “friendly” or “hostile.” The envoys described these comments as inflammatory and detrimental to national unity.
The government maintains that investigations into First Vice President Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon are ongoing to determine his culpability in recent deadly clashes between the White Army militia and the SSPDF in Nasir, Upper Nile State.
However, in a separate statement, Michael Makuei Lueth, the Minister of Information, Communication Technology and Postal Services, elaborated on the process.
“If the investigation committee finds a prima facie case against Riek Machar, they will recommend his prosecution before a court,” Makuei said at a press conference in Juba.
“If his culpability is proven, he cannot be tried while holding his position as First Vice President. He will have to be relieved from his position to face the law. If the committee finds no case, it will quash the case and is competent to discharge him,” he added.
Recently, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) stated that the security and political situation in South Sudan has deteriorated due to recurrent violations, which have frustrated and stalled the implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement (R-ARCSS).
The Commission’s Quarterly Report for the first quarter of 2025 (January – March), prepared under Article 7.9 of the R-ARCSS, documented “repeated violations” of the Agreement.
“During the quarter, implementation of the Agreement ground to a halt, as the Parties engaged in repeated violations of the R-ARCSS and the political and security environment markedly worsened,” the report noted.