SOUTH SUDAN: Machar’s Arrest Threatens Peace Deal, Deputy Speaker Warns

By Debora Akur Chol, South Sudan

The First Deputy Speaker in the National Legislative Assembly, Nathaniel Oyet, has confirmed the arrest of opposition leader and First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, stating that this move could mark the death of the 2018 peace agreement.

In a statement, Oyet disclosed that at approximately 9:46 pm on Wednesday, senior security personnel from the National Security Services and the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), under orders from President Salva Kiir, placed Machar and his wife, Hon. Angelina Teny, under house arrest.

“Senior security personnel from the National Security Services, Tiger Division, and the SSPDF, acting under the directives of President Salva Kiir Mayardit, breached the residence of H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny, the First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan, and the Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM/SPLA-IO. They put him and his wife, Hon. Angelina Teny, the Minister of Interior, is under house arrest in Juba,” Oyet stated.

Oyet also confirmed that all of the First Vice President’s protocol and security personnel had been arrested and moved to separate locations.

He warned that the unlawful detention of a principal signatory to the 2018 peace agreement could seriously jeopardize the peace process and lead to the collapse of the signed accord.

“The arrest and detention of H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny effectively brought the Agreement to a collapse, putting the prospects for peace and stability in South Sudan into serious jeopardy,” Oyet noted.

“Consequently, we would like to declare that with the arrest and detention of H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny, the R-ARCSS, 2018, has been abrogated,” he added.

Oyet, who is also the deputy chairman of the SPLM/A-IO, condemned President Kiir’s actions as an act of deceit, breaching promises, dishonoring agreements, and revealing a lack of political will to bring peace and stability to the country.

“The ongoing military attacks on our military sites are clear evidence that the 2017 ceasefire agreement has been violated,” Oyet added.

He further highlighted that there were ongoing air and ground military attacks on cantonment sites and training centers in Wunliet, Aswa, and Rejaf, marking a serious violation of the Permanent Ceasefire and Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) of 2017.

Oyet called on the members of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the IGAD Partners Forum, the African Union (AU), the C5 Countries, and the United Nations to protect the R-ARCSS and ensure the safety and immediate release of the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar.

“We also call upon members of the SPLM/SPLA-IO and the general public to remain steadfast, calm, and vigilant as diplomatic efforts to ensure the release of H.E. the First Vice President, the Chairman, and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM/SPLA-IO, and other political detainees, continue,” Oyet concluded.