The South Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) has announced its withdrawal from the security arrangements outlined in the 2018 peace agreement, signaling further instability within the coalition government.
Led by First Vice President Riek Machar, a key signatory to the agreement, the SPLM-IO stated it is pulling its support from the security mechanisms in protest against the detention of several of its senior leaders and the presence of Ugandan troops in South Sudan.
The 2018 peace deal ended five years of civil war and resulted in the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU), which includes Machar’s party, President Salva Kiir’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), and various other armed movements.
Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, SPLM-IO deputy chairman, stated in a letter dated March 17: “All participation by the members of the security and political mechanisms is hereby frozen with immediate effect until all the SPLM-IO political detainees are unconditionally released.”
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This freeze means the SPLM-IO is withdrawing from key bodies such as the Joint Defence Board, the High-Level Political Committee, the Joint Military Ceasefire Committee, and the Joint Transitional Security Committee. This weakens coordination efforts and raises concerns about a potential return to conflict.
The withdrawal follows the arrest of several SPLM-IO officials earlier in March after clashes between South Sudanese soldiers and local White Army militias near the Ethiopian border in Nasir, forcing the troops to retreat. The clashes resulted in the deaths of approximately 27 soldiers, including a military general, on March 7, when a UN helicopter attempting to evacuate them from Nasir was attacked.
Authorities in Juba accuse Machar’s party of having links to the White Army, an accusation the SPLM-IO denies.
Adding to the tension, the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), in collaboration with the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), reportedly shelled villages in Nasir in Upper Nile State on Sunday night, resulting in 21 deaths and property destruction.
According to Mr. Pierino, “The invitation and deployment of UPDF around the country complicates the geopolitical situation of South Sudan and is tantamount to a declaration of war on the peace partners and the people of South Sudan by the two governments.”
Earlier Agreements
The Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), brokered by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) and signed in 2018, grants key SPLM-IO officials immunity from prosecution and dismissal from government positions without the party’s consent. However, the SPLM-IO claims this provision has been violated by President Kiir.
The detained SPLM-IO officials include Petroleum minister Puot Kang Chol, who is also the deputy chairman of the High-Level Political Committee, General Gabriel Duop Lam, the deputy chief of defence forces and co-chair of the Joint Defence Board, MPs Gatwech Lam Puoch, Camilo Gatmai Kel, and 19 others.
Government spokesman Michael Makuei announced on Monday that the State had revoked the immunity of the detained opposition officials, declared war on the White Army, and warned civilians to evacuate Nasir.
Mr. Pierino has stated that South Sudan, particularly Juba, is becoming increasingly unsafe for members of the opposition and Dr. Machar, who is reportedly under house arrest.
Edmund Yakani, executive director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation, warns that the SPLM-IO’s withdrawal could significantly undermine the 2018 peace agreement and erode public faith in the country’s political transition during the newly extended two-year transitional period.
Source: The EastAfrican
