IGAD to release Machar ‘soon’ – head of IGAD office in Juba

JUBA – The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) which mediate the revitalized peace agreement will soon release South Sudan’s First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny, according to the regional body’s Juba office.

The announcement came after more than one month after the SPLA-IO chief of staff General Simon Gatwech Dual wrote to the regional body asking them to allow Machar who is also the SPLM/SPLA (IO) chairman and commander in chief, to visit him for consultation on peace implementation.

Machar was first put under house arrest in late 2016 in South Africa, following the collapse of the country’s 2015 peace agreement, the ARCSS, following a July 2016 fighting in Juba.

He was briefly released and allowed to participate in peace talks in mid 2018 leading up to the signing of the revitalized peace agreement.

Earlier this year, Machar was appointed, once again, as First Vice President, but his movement has remained restricted to his residence and his office.

Speaking to reporters in Juba on Monday, Tesfaye Negassa who is the head of IGAD liaison office in South Sudan, said the liaison office has wrote to the regional body to review the restrictions imposed on Machar and release him.

“As you know his Excellency the First Vice President of this country is holding a very high office, and by virtue of that, he has all the privileges to move around. It is our belief,” he said.

“As IGAD, we have handled it and IGAD’s Executive Secretary has already written a letter to the IGAD chairperson about his free movements for Dr. Machar soon,” he added.

In April 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia issued a verbal note indicating that IGAD had not put any restriction on Machar’s travel to any country of his choice.

This eventually enabled Dr. Machar to travel to the Vatican to attend the spiritual retreat convened by Pope Francis.