A section of the top leadership of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) has reiterated its commitment to peace while demanding the immediate release of its leader, Dr. Riek Machar, who was detained this week.
South Sudanese security forces placed Dr. Machar, the opposition leader and First Vice President, under house arrest in Juba on Wednesday amid escalating political tensions, raising fears of a return to civil war.
South Sudan has been formally at peace since a 2018 agreement ended a five-year conflict between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and Machar—a war that killed nearly 400,000 people. However, relations between the two leaders, who have dominated the country’s politics for decades, remain strained.
Machar’s house arrest is widely seen as jeopardizing the peace agreement.
Addressing the media in Juba on Friday, Stephen Par Kuol, Chairperson of the National Committee for Peace, Reconciliation, and Healing, described the situation as a political and military crisis threatening the peace deal.
“The arrest of our chairperson and other political and military leaders has jeopardized the peace process in South Sudan. We call for their immediate release and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to resolving this crisis through dialogue,” Kuol stated.
Kuol, who also serves as the National Minister of Peacebuilding as part of the power-sharing agreement, urged calm among the public and called on IGAD, the African Union, the Troika, the European Union, and the UN to intervene in facilitating dialogue.
“The only way forward is through the full implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). We are here as senior members of the SPLM-IO and constitutional post-holders in this government. Those who have declared war do not speak for us,” Kuol emphasized.
The press conference was attended by senior SPLM-IO officials, including the Minister for Federal Affairs, Losuba Ludoru Wongo; the Chairperson of the Constitutional Review Commission, Dr. Riang Yer Zuor, Speaker of the Council of States Deng Deng Akon, and other senior officials who are members of the SPLM-IO Political Bureau.
Kuol said the SPLM-IO has not been informed of any legal basis for Machar’s detention.
“We don’t know the charges. Constitutionally and legally, any citizen can be detained, but due process must be followed. That is why we demand his release,” he said.
The SPLM-IO called on all parties to de-escalate tensions and reaffirmed its participation in government at all levels.
“Peace can only be found in dialogue. Whether inside or outside the country, we urge all South Sudanese to remain committed to peace,” Kuol said.
The call for peace from the SPLM-IO leadership coincides with diplomatic efforts, including the arrival of Kenyan envoy Raila Odinga in Juba for crisis talks. The SPLM-IO expressed hope that such interventions would help restore stability.