Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The international community has called on President Salva Kiir to immediately release First Vice President Dr Riek Machar and urgently pave way for dialogue in a bid to save the faltering 2018 peace agreement.
The Embassies of Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, alongside the delegation of the European Union to South Sudan, urged Kiir to reverse the detention of Mr. Machar.
“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.
The Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition and his allies, including the Minister of Petroleum, Puot Kang Chol, have been in detention since March without charges.
The international missions issued a joint statement Friday expressing grave concern over the deteriorating political and security situation, which led to their arrest, describing it as the worst since 2018.
The statement aligns with the assessment of the Chairman of the Revitalised Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), which highlighted a marked decline in stability.
The international partners urgently called on South Sudanese leaders to reverse recent actions exacerbating tensions and return to dialogue to seek a political resolution.
The diplomatic missions also condemned a recent statement by Dr Martin Elia Lomuro, the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, on April 26, which categorised counties as “friendly” or “hostile.” The envoys described the remarks as inflammatory and counterproductive to national unity.
Further, the statement deplored the use of violence as a tool for political competition, calling on all party leaders to cease such tactics and avoid unilateral actions that undermine the fragile peace process.
“We reaffirm our call on all party leaders to end the use of violence as a tool for political competition and to desist from further unilateral actions,” the statement emphasised.
The joint statement underscores growing international alarm over South Sudan’s faltering transition, as the country struggles to implement the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement.
The international community reiterated its support for a peaceful and inclusive political process, urging South Sudanese leaders to prioritise dialogue and reconciliation to avert further instability.
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