Nairobi, July 27, 2024 (SSNA) — South Sudan’s First Vice President and Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) party Dr. Riek Machar is confined to Juba and cannot travel outside South Sudan, a senior government official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation told the South Sudan News Agency (SSNA) on Saturday.
The official, who asked his name not to be disclosed because he was not authorized to speak to the media and for fear of reprisal, disclosed that President Salva Kiir and a group of government officials are not interested in allowing the opposition leader Machar to travel freely.
“Our country is in the peace process. I know the FVP is not allowed to travel inside or outside our country,” the source declared.
When asked to explain how he became aware of Machar’s alleged confinement in Juba.
“Well, even people who work in Payams know this. It is something even Riek himself knows,” asserted the source, adding, “The President and his trusted allies are very fearful of Machar, this led them to impose confusing house arrest to limit Machar’s influence and manage public and international reactions.”
“I am not going to explain everything here. But I am going to tell you this. Last year in May, a meeting of high-ranking National Security Service officials was held in Entebbe, Uganda. The meeting was attended even by the president’s right-hand men including Akol Koor and Bol Mel.,” the source reveals.
“That meeting was the declaration of Machar’s deliberate confinement. He is now under house arrest,” he asserted.
The SSNA was able to contact the Ministry of Information to get their reactions. The Ministry refused to confirm or deny the alleged imprisonment, dismissing it as “fabricated,” declaring, “He [Machar] can travel to anywhere he wants.”
The SPLM-IO said its leader is “effectively under house arrest” and confirmed raised their concerns in April this year.
“He [Machar] cannot move; he is just in Juba, and when we say there is a need for civic and political space, it is for that. You need to move freely also, and each candidate must be moving to see his members and campaign when we talk about campaigning. How can you do campaigns when other leaders cannot move? The SPLM-IG [SPLM in Government] can go around and do all sorts of campaigns, but the other parties have no rights to move,” SPLM-IO Secretary General Regina Joseph Kaba told Radio Tamazuj in April.
The South Sudan News Agency has learned through an NSS source that two meetings were held in Juba on July 19 and 20. The meetings were about the strengthening of Machar’s confinement in Juba. The meetings also addressed strategies to prevent the issues from becoming public and minimize international backlash.