NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 27 — President William Ruto has announced plans to dispatch a special envoy to Juba in an effort to ease rising tensions between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar.
President Ruto disclosed that he had spoken to President Kiir regarding the situation that led to the arrest and detention of Machar.
He further noted that his decision followed consultations with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
“[I] had a phone call with President Salva Kiir on the situation leading to the arrest and detention of 1st Vice President Riek Machar in South Sudan,” Ruto stated Thursday.
“After consultations with President Museveni and PM Abiy, I’m sending a special envoy to South Sudan to engage, try de-escalate, and brief us back.”
It was not immediately clear who Ruto had appointed as the special envoy.
The political standoff between Kiir and Machar has been a recurring challenge for South Sudan, with previous peace agreements facing setbacks.
Earlier, Kenya expressed concern over the reports of the detention of Machar.
In a statement, Kenya urged all parties involved to prioritize peace and adhere to the ongoing agreements under the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s (IGAD) 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,” said Mudavadi Mudavadi, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
Mudavadi, who also serves as the Prime Cabinet Secretary, urged South Sudanese leaders to exercise restraint and cease hostilities.
He called on the warring parties to uphold the Revitalized Peace Agreement in the interest of millions of South Sudan citizens.
House arrest
Machar, a long-time rival of President Kiir, was placed under house arrest on Wednesday, according to his party.
The BBC reported that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM/IO) disclosed that an armed convoy led by top security officials, including the defense minister, entered Machar’s residence in the capital, Juba, and disarmed his bodyguards late on Wednesday.
“Technically, Dr. Machar is under house arrest, but the security officials initially tried to take him away,” said Reath Muoch Tang, Chairman of the party’s foreign relations committee.
Machar and Kiir had agreed in August 2018 to end a five-year civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people.
However, over the last seven years, their relationship has become increasingly strained amid ethnic tensions and sporadic violence.
The SPLM/IO also stated that Machar was detained alongside his wife, Angelina Teny, who serves as South Sudan’s Interior Minister.
Source: capitalfm
