EU delegation denied access to Machar

JUBA – A delegation from the European Union (EU) has been denied access to the First Vice President and the Chairman of the Sudan People Liberation Movement in Opposition, Dr. Riek Machar.

The political twist followed a visit to Juba by the EU Special Representative to the Horn of Africa, Dr Annette Weber, on 10 April 2025, at the request and on behalf of EU High Representative Vice President H.E. Kaja Kallas.

In a press statement extended to Sudans Post, the delegation revealed that despite meeting top officials within the government circle, Machar, who is currently under house arrest in the capital Juba, was not granted access.

“During her visit, she met His Excellency the Vice President Dr Benjamin Bol Mel, the Minister of Information, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and the Minister of Cabinet Affairs.  Despite a request, she was not granted a visit to His Excellency the First Vice President Dr Riek Machar,” read the statement in part.

The Special Representative conveyed the grave concern of the European Union about the acts of violence in several regions of South Sudan and the multiple violations of the peace agreement.

Weber urged the key principals to the Revitalized Peace Agreement to put grievances aside, prioritize dialogue and peace, and take immediate steps toward de-escalation, calling for a re-commitment to the peace agreement and its implementation by all parties.

The delegation welcomed the various efforts of the region – in particular by IGAD and its Member States as well as the African Union – to deescalate the situation in South Sudan and assured the leaders that the EU will continue to support these efforts, assuring her interlocutors that the EU is working tirelessly to address the war in Sudan, which is directly impacting South Sudan.

The EU, the delegation reiterated, stands in solidarity with the people of South Sudan and calls upon its leaders to work for a peaceful future for them.

This is the third time Juba denied access to Machar. In March, Raila Odinga, a Special Envoy appointed by Kenya’s President William Ruto on the South Sudan’s conflict, saw his request to meet the detainee declined.

The Panel of the Wise, a consultative body within the African Union, met a similar fate after its request to meet the First Vice President was blocked.

The continuous denial to grant access to Machar by the regime in Juba to regional and international partners raises concerns over the safety of the SPLM-IO Chairman and puts the peace agreement in jeopardy.