Mr. Machar, the Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) and a key signatory to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan, was arrested and detained in March following clashes between government and opposition forces in Upper Nile.
Despite persistent previous calls on President Salva Kiir to release the opposition leader and several of his allies, little progress has been made. The Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), the military wing of Machar’s party, has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks across the country in recent months.
In a statement released Wednesday, the international community renewed its call and pursuit for dialogue to address political differences.
“We call on all South Sudan’s leaders to work together urgently to stop the violence. This includes release of all political detainees, including the First Vice-President, so that meaningful dialogue – the only route to sustainable peace for South Sudan – can proceed,” read the statement dated 6th August 2025.
The embassies also expressed “grave concern over ongoing hostilities in several parts of South Sudan,” adding that “This growing violence is in flagrant violation of the ceasefire and RARCSS agreements and threatens the hopes for peace and development shared by all South Sudanese.”
In recent months, armed confrontations between military groups, including SSPDF, SPLA-IO, and an incident involving Uganda’s army launching cross-border attacks in Kajo-Keji, have displaced civilians and left several dead. Medical facilities supported by international such as Doctors without Borders, have been targeted in those attacks, forcing the organization to suspend operations.
“We specifically condemn the repeated attacks against civilians, including humanitarian workers, and medical facilities, protected under international humanitarian law. These attacks are only exacerbating the suffering of the South Sudanese people. We are also seriously concerned by the inter-communal violence in several states and reports of restrictions on humanitarian access,” said the statement.
The call comes a day after SPLM-IO, under the leadership of Interim Chairman Stephen Par Kuol, appealed to the Kiir regime to unconditionally release Machar and all other political detainees.
Par, who serves as the Minister of Peacebuilding in the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity, also urged his SPLM-IG counterparts to give back key positions forfeited from the SPLM-IO, including those at the state and county levels.
