The Office of the President of South Sudan has dismissed claims that President Salva Kiir sent former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to Uganda's Yoweri Museveni before granting him access to meet First Vice President Riek Machar who is in detention.
In a statement on Monday, March 31, Presidential Press Secretary David Amuor Majur said Raila's visit to Uganda was scheduled prior to his meeting with Kiir.
“The suggestion that General Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan, requested Raila Odinga to meet with the President of Uganda is misrepresenting diplomatic norms and principles.
"Odinga’s mission to Uganda was pre-arranged. Nobody sent him to go and talk to President Museveni," he said.
Read More
Amuor explained that the meeting between Raila and Machar did not take place due to an ongoing investigation into the First Vice President.
“Raila asked to meet Machar, but President Kiir's reply was that the First Vice President is under investigation and promised him that, 'Next time when you come after consultation with the rest of the member states, you may find a chance to meet and talk to him'," he added.
Speaking on Saturday, March 29, Raila said that he was denied access to Machar, claiming that Kiir told him to go to Uganda instead.
“I asked to be allowed to talk to Machar, but they could not allow me to see him, and they recommended that I meet with President Museveni. From Juba, I went to Entebbe and had a meeting with Museveni and reported to him what I had found in South Sudan, and after a lengthy discussion, he said he was going to talk to President Kiir. We agreed that I would go back to Juba later,” said Raila.
Raila also noted that Kiir informed him that Machar was placed under detention following the killing of a general and ten other people in the town of Nasir, in the Upper Nile.
“I had a lengthy discussion with President Kiir, who told me that there was a killing of a general and over ten other people in the town of Nassir in the upper Nile, and this is what they are investigating.
"Because of this, he said that Vice President Riek Machar had been put under house arrest as they continue with their investigations,” he added.
