DJIBOUTI – The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has called for the immediate release of South Sudanese officials linked to First Vice President Riek Machar, warning that their detention threatens to unravel the country’s fragile peace process.
In a communiqué issued after an emergency virtual summit on Wednesday, the East African regional bloc urged President Salva Kiir’s administration to either free the detainees or present “credible evidence” justifying legal proceedings under transparent conditions.
The statement did not name those arrested but indicated that the detentions had paralyzed key security mechanisms established under the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS), which ended South Sudan’s brutal five-year civil war.
The arrests followed deadly clashes in Nasir County, Upper Nile State, on March 7–8 between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar.
The violence resulted in the deaths of a senior South Sudanese military commander, Gen Majur Duk, and a United Nations staffer during evacuation efforts.
In response, Kiir’s government detained multiple Machar allies, including Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol and senior military officials.
IGAD strongly condemned the violence and ordered its ceasefire monitoring body, the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM), to investigate both the Nasir clashes and an attack on a UN helicopter.
The bloc also announced plans to send a ministerial delegation to Juba to assess stalled peace efforts and push for renewed dialogue.
Despite repeated pledges, South Sudan’s unity government—formed under the 2018 peace accord—has struggled to meet its commitments.
The transition has been hampered by delayed elections, security sector reforms left incomplete, and deep-seated mistrust between Kiir and Machar.
IGAD acknowledged their recent joint appeal for calm but expressed “deep concern” over continued ceasefire violations and slow progress on unifying armed forces and drafting a permanent constitution.
As part of broader mediation efforts, IGAD endorsed Kenya’s Tumaini Initiative, which seeks to engage armed groups that remain outside the peace deal.
Religious and civil society leaders were also urged to play a more active role in national reconciliation.
While the bloc stopped short of outlining specific consequences for non-compliance, it warned that South Sudan’s stability hinges on the government’s willingness to implement overdue reforms.
“Dialogue and discussion remain the only means for resolving differences,” the statement emphasized.
Reacting to IGAD’s intervention, South Sudanese political observer Edmund Yakani described the summit’s outcomes as “encouraging” but stressed that lasting peace depends on political will.
He warned that a “severe trust deficit” within the unity government is undermining the peace process, allowing “spoilers” to exploit divisions and obstruct progress.
