Following the house arrest of Dr. Riek Machar the chairperson and commander in Chief of Sudan People Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO), several called have been made by African countries in order to resolve the misunderstanding.
While SPLM/IO officials viewed Dr. Machar house arrest as collapsed of the 2018 peace agreement, the government said the agreement continue to be implemented as normal hence putting the agreement at cross road.
With increased in tensions between President Salva Kiir camp and Dr. Riek Machar camp, eyes have been set on president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda make a break through.
However, the arrival of African Union panel of Wise followed by Uganda president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has given hope as it will determine the progress of the 2018 peace agreement.
Although the official agenda of the President Museveni visit has not been publicly revealed, the discussions are expected to focus on regional security, the future of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, and Uganda’s recent military engagement in South Sudan.
“I look forward to our discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation between our two nations,” Museveni wrote on his official X (formerly Twitter) account.
Museveni, a long-time ally of Kiir, is a guarantor of the 2018 agreement that ended South Sudan’s five-year civil war. However, Uganda’s recent troop deployments in support of the ununified SSPDF to fight the White Army have drawn criticism from South Sudanese, including Dr. Machar, who wrote to the UN seeking intervention to withdraw the forces.
“The two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral relations between Juba and Kampala, besides the current political developments in the country,” a short statement from President Kiir’s office reads.
Museveni’s visit follows an IGAD mission led by Special Envoy Raila Odinga and the AU’s Panel of the Wise, who are in Juba to de-escalate tensions after President Kiir’s arrest of Machar.
Machar’s arrest comes as a result of escalating conflict in the Upper Nile between government forces and the White Army allied with him, leading to civilian casualties and displacement.
This has raised fears of the 2018 peace agreement collapsing, potentially pushing South Sudan back into full-scale civil war if de-escalation and dialogue do not take place.
