April 17, 2020 (Nyamilepedia) — South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has asked regional leaders to maintain the current status of SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny until the of the transitional period, two senior members of Kiir’s office said on Friday.
Machar has been under detention since the collapse of a 2015 peace agreement in July 2016 following a fighting at the presidential palace in Juba between a handful members of Machar’s guards and a huge force of Kiir station at the time in the capital.
Since Machar’s permanent return to Juba early this year to take up his First Vice President position as part of the revitalized peace agreement signed in 2018, opposition, government and regional officials have given contradicting accounts on Machar’s status.
IGAD special envoy for South Sudan Ismail Wais said in February that Machar was free and with the assumption of his position as FVP, he was no longer under forcefull regional detention.
For her part, SPLM-IO senior official, Machar’s wife and now the country’s defense minister Angelina Teny said Machar was still under detention and could not leave the capital to visit supporters in their constituencies adding that his passport has not been renewed.
Speaking to Nyamilepedia this afternoon, two senior officials from Kiir’s office said on condition of anonymity that President Kiir has wrote to regional leaders including President Museveni of Uganda who they said agreed that Machar should be kept under detention until end of transitional period in February 2023 for the sack of the country’s stability.
“The President sees it possible that Dr. Riek Machar’s status should remain in place until 2023,” one official said. “This is because the the stability of our country will need that.”
Another official said “The President H.E Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit has wrote to regional leader to keep the status of Dr. Machar,” he said. “President Museveni has already agreed that it will be necessary to keep his current status.”
