The government has expressed deep concern over the reported detention of South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar, urging all parties to uphold peace and stability.
In a press release issued on Thursday, March 27, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign & Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi called for restraint and the full implementation of the peace agreements in South Sudan.
He urged the involved parties to allow space for peace agreements under the framework of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
“The Kenyan government calls on all parties in South Sudan to prioritize peace in the country by giving room to the ongoing peace agreements under the auspices of IGAD’s Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS),” the statement read.
Read More
Mudavadi further urged South Sudanese leaders to exercise restraint and work towards lasting peace in the interest of citizens affected by the ongoing political tensions.
“We urge all the leaders in South Sudan to exercise utmost restraint, cease hostilities, and uphold the Revitalized Peace Agreement in the best interests of millions of their people," he concluded.
According to media reports, Machar was arrested and placed under house arrest in the capital, Juba.
The arrest occurred when more than 20 heavily armed vehicles forcefully entered his residence.
The United Nations has expressed concern that this development could lead South Sudan back into widespread conflict, urging all parties to uphold the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war.
"Unilateral amendments by Parties to that agreement that jeopardize the hard-won gains of the past seven years risk returning the country back into a state of war. This will not only devastate South Sudan but also affect the entire region," the Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Nicholas Haysom said.
This incident follows the recent detention of several officials allied with Machar, including Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol and Deputy Army Chief Gen.
