By Matik Kueth
The Western Embassies of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the European Union Delegation, have called for the release of political detainees and the resumption of dialogue between President Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, the Embassies and Delegation expressed concerns over ongoing politically motivated violence in South Sudan, frequent violations of the ceasefire, and the transitional government’s lack of apparent steps to restore and preserve peace.
The diplomatic missions further noted that the adjourned 40th session of the R-JMEC should be rescheduled without delay.
“The postponed 40th session of the Revitalized Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) should be rescheduled without delay and should focus on the critical challenges to peace,” they stated, warning that, “There should be no unilateral actions that further jeopardize the 2018 peace agreement. It is urgent that South Sudan’s leaders meet their obligations and demonstrate that their priority is peace.”
This appeal comes amid increasing critiques of the government’s failure to implement key provisions of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which are regarded as critical to stabilizing the country ahead of long-delayed elections scheduled for December 2025.
However, despite the diplomatic missions’ call, FVP Dr. Machar remains in house detention, along with other party members arrested earlier in March following the Nasir incident, in which the government claimed the individual arrested had a hand in the clashes between the SSPF and the white army that resulted in the death of SSPDF commander Lt. Gen. Majur Dak.
In unexpected political maneuver on Wednesday, Stephen Phar Kuol, Minister of Peacebuilding, was named the SPLM-IO’s interim chairperson, a move that will likely delay the release of Machar and other party members from jail.