{"id":91744,"date":"2026-04-11T13:37:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T13:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/au-envoys-stance-on-machar-trial-disputed-by-diplomats"},"modified":"2026-04-11T14:04:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T14:04:18","slug":"au-envoys-stance-on-machar-trial-disputed-by-diplomats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/au-envoys-stance-on-machar-trial-disputed-by-diplomats","title":{"rendered":"AU Envoy’s Stance on Machar Trial Disputed by Diplomats"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. <\/strong><\/span>A claim by the Office of President Salva Kiir that the African Union supports South Sudan\u2019s ongoing judicial process, including the ongoing trial of suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, has been challenged by diplomatic sources who attended the high-level meeting with High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, Jakaya Kikwete, in Juba this week.<\/p>\n

The meeting, held on Thursday, brought together regional representatives and South Sudanese stakeholders as part of renewed efforts to revive the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan ahead of the planned December 2026 elections.<\/p>\n

While the presidency framed the engagement as evidence of \u201cgrowing alignment\u201d between Juba and the African Union on political and legal priorities, other accounts suggest the discussions were far more focused on de-escalation and political inclusion.<\/p>\n

In its official statement, the government asserted that the African Union \u201cunderscored the necessity for South Sudan to follow its judicial process through to its conclusion,\u201d a position widely interpreted as backing the ongoing prosecution of Machar over his alleged role in the March 2025 Nasir incident. The statement also emphasised support for proceeding with elections within the current transitional timeline and sequencing key reforms afterwards.<\/p>\n

However, diplomatic sources familiar with the meeting have sharply disputed this characterisation, pointing instead to the February 2026 C5+ communique\u0301 adopted in Addis Ababa, which calls for the unconditional release of political detainees, including Machar, as a prerequisite for creating a conducive environment for inclusive dialogue.<\/p>\n

According to these sources, Kikwete\u2019s mission in Juba is anchored in that directive, which prioritises political engagement over legal proceedings to stabilise the country ahead of elections.<\/p>\n

This interpretation is reinforced by statements from Machar\u2019s Sudan People\u2019s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition, whose representatives also met Kikwete. Senior party member Dut Majokdit dismissed the presidency\u2019s account as misleading, insisting that the release of Machar is \u201cessential to move the country forward\u201d and urging the public to \u201cdisregard the propaganda of that press release.\u201d<\/p>\n

Majokdit was not the only one to contradict the government\u2019s narrative. Regional actors have likewise emphasised dialogue over judicial action.<\/p>\n

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, through its Head of Mission in Juba, Dr Victoria Anib, reiterated its commitment to inclusive political engagement under the AU-IGAD-UN trilateral framework, highlighting the need to operationalise the C5+ declaration.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe [Anib] reiterated IGAD\u2019s participation in the development of the operationalisation framework for the C5 Plus Declaration, emphasised the importance of inclusive dialogue, and underscored IGAD\u2019s continued commitment to lasting peace in South Sudan,\u201d said IGAD in a statement on X.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Hassan Mahamoud, the Ambassador of Djibouti to South Sudan, described Kikwete\u2019s visit as a critical effort to \u201cunblock the stalled peace agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe [Kikwete] is in Juba on a critical mission to help unblock the stalled peace agreement in South Sudan. Together, we exchanged candid perspectives on the pressing issues affecting peace and lasting stability in the country,\u201d he said on X before Kikwete\u2019s departure on Friday.<\/p>\n

That stance was also backed by Abdiweli Ali, the Former Prime Minister of Somalia, who characterised the talks as focused on the broader peace process and the way forward for stability.<\/p>\n

At the time of publication, Mr Kikwete himself has not issued a public statement explicitly endorsing the trial of Machar, but he emphasised a commitment to the December 2026 elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my discussions with the President [Kiir], he has assured me that there is a determination to make sure that the elections are held this year. There is not going to be any extension. That\u2019s the important news,\u201d Kikwete said on South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

In the absence of such clarification, and given the consistency of diplomatic and regional messaging around detainee release and inclusive dialogue, the assertion that the African Union backs the ongoing judicial process appears to be, at best, a selective interpretation of the discussions.<\/p>\n

While Juba is framing the AU engagement as support for its legal approach, the available evidence suggests that the dominant position among diplomats and regional stakeholders remains centred on de-escalation, political inclusion, and full implementation of the peace agreement.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A claim by the Office of President Salva Kiir that the African Union supports South Sudan\u2019s ongoing judicial process, including the ongoing trial of suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, has been challenged by diplomatic sources who attended the high-level meeting with High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":91743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[233],"class_list":["post-91744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-south-sudan"],"yoast_head":"\nAU Envoy's Stance on Machar Trial Disputed by Diplomats - South Sudan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A claim by the Office of President Salva Kiir that the African Union supports South Sudan\u2019s ongoing judicial process, in ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/au-envoys-stance-on-machar-trial-disputed-by-diplomats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AU Envoy's Stance on Machar Trial Disputed by Diplomats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A claim by the Office of President Salva Kiir that the African Union supports South Sudan\u2019s ongoing judicial process, in ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/au-envoys-stance-on-machar-trial-disputed-by-diplomats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Sudan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-11T13:37:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-11T14:04:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2026\/04\/sm_1775903581.633631.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/au-envoys-stance-on-machar-trial-disputed-by-diplomats#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/au-envoys-stance-on-machar-trial-disputed-by-diplomats\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"AU Envoy’s Stance on Machar Trial Disputed by Diplomats\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-11T13:37:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-11T14:04:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/au-envoys-stance-on-machar-trial-disputed-by-diplomats\"},\"wordCount\":709,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/au-envoys-stance-on-machar-trial-disputed-by-diplomats#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2026\/04\/sm_1775903581.633631.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"South-Sudan\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/au-envoys-stance-on-machar-trial-disputed-by-diplomats#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/au-envoys-stance-on-machar-trial-disputed-by-diplomats\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/au-envoys-stance-on-machar-trial-disputed-by-diplomats\",\"name\":\"AU Envoy's Stance on Machar Trial Disputed by Diplomats - 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