February 20th 2020 (Nyamilepedia) – The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) will release main armed opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny after the formation of the transitional government, an Ethiopian foreign ministry official said.
Machar has been under house arrest following collapse of a 2015 peace agreement in July 2016. He has been kept in Pretoria, South Africa, and Khartoum, Sudan.
His release has been a major demand by the SPLM-IO which is now a signatory to the revitalized peace agreement that provided for Machar’s return to the first vice presidency which he held until 2016.
Speaking to Nyamilepedia this morning, a Ethiopian foreign ministry official said Machar will be released after the formation of the unity government which is supposed to be no later than February 22.
“The IGAD will release Dr. Riek Machar when they form the unity government,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
“The region is ready to support the parties and the people of South Sudan in their struggle for peace,” he added.
