JUBA — The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), the body overseeing the South Sudan peace deal, on Thursday called on the transitional government to address the issues regarding the house arrest of First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar and his close allies.
The security forces placed veteran opposition leader, Dr. Machar, a long-time rival to President Salva Kiir, under house arrest in Juba in March 2025 amid escalating political tensions, raising fears of a return to civil war.
Machar was detained on March 26, 2025, following the earlier arrests of his key allies, such as Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, the chief of staff of the SPLA-IO, and Puot Kang Chol, minister of petroleum, and others over accusations of instigating the fighting in Nasir.
The peace monitoring body urged Kiir’s administration to resolve the case of Dr. Machar to pave the way for the operationalization of all the agreement implementation institutions and mechanisms.
“RJMEC urges the transitional government to resolve the issues surrounding the house arrest of Dr. Riek Machar and other SPLM/A-IO leaders currently in detention, pursuant to the Communiqué of the 1283rd Meeting of the AUPSC, and ensure the functionality of all the Agreement implementation institutions and mechanisms, especially the Transitional Security Mechanisms,” RJMEC said in a quarterly report it released on Thursday.
The 16-page report said that overall, the implementation of the key provisions of the 2018 peace faced severe setbacks, with progress largely stalled and the risk of renewed conflict increasing.
It said persistence political tension, including the continued house arrest of the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, and his high-ranking officers, undermines peace implementation.
“This only serves to deepen mistrust among key parties to the R-ARCSS and undermine confidence of the people of South Sudan, the region, and the international community in the commitment of the parties to the implementation of the Agreement in letter and spirit,” said the report.
It said the political and security situation in South Sudan has continued to worsen due to recent violence involving the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army–In Opposition.
“The general political and security situation in the Republic of South Sudan continued to deteriorate, with the Permanent Ceasefire severely compromised by repeated clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army–In Opposition (SPLA-IO), along with their allied forces.”
It said deepening mistrust among key parties to the 2018 peace pact undermines confidence of the people of South Sudan, the region, and the international community.
“Additionally, unilateral dismissals and appointments undertaken without the requisite consultations and/or consensus among the peace partners constituted clear breaches of the letter and spirit of the responsibility-sharing arrangements under the governance chapter of the R-ARCSS, further eroding trust and undermining its implementation.”
“In order to kickstart this process there must be a restoration of trust, which necessarily involves releasing the SPLM/A-IO detainees and restoring full and inclusive participation of all parties in the various Agreement Institutions and Mechanisms,” it said.
It said despite extensive high-level diplomatic efforts by regional and international actors, no significant breakthrough has been achieved in resolving the political and security impasse in the country.
It further welcomed continued diplomatic interventions as important gestures of political goodwill, aimed at encouraging the country’s leaders to prioritize the aspirations of ordinary citizens for peace, dignity, and security to be at the core of all political discussions and interventions.
