Africa
AU Panel’s Request to Meet Machar Declined
The visit follows a meeting last week between Kiir and Kenya’s special envoy, Raila Odinga.
A request by the African Union (AU) Panel of the Wise to meet South Sudan’s First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, who is under house arrest, has been denied, credible sources revealed.
The AU dispatched the high-level delegation to Juba to address ongoing instability in the country. The United Nations, African Union, and regional leaders have condemned Machar’s detention, warning it risks destabilizing the fragile peace in the world’s youngest nation.
According to the schedule, the panel, led by former Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye, was due to meet Machar on Friday morning before holding talks with President Salva Kiir in the afternoon.
The delegation’s visit aimed to engage stakeholders to bolster mediation efforts and support implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
The AU delegation arrived in Juba on Wednesday and met with Kiir, though few details emerged beyond brief statements reaffirming commitment to the peace deal.
The visit follows a meeting last week between Kiir and Kenya’s special envoy, Raila Odinga. Odinga said his request to meet Machar was denied, with Kiir reportedly referring him to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni—a claim dismissed by South Sudan’s presidential press secretary, David Amuor Majur.
Multiple diplomatic sources, claim Kiir told the AU panel on Wednesday that no one would be allowed to meet Machar until investigations conclude and he appears in court.
“During the meeting with the president on Wednesday, the AU Panel of the Wise requested to meet First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar. However, they were informed that no one would be allowed to meet Machar until investigations with him are concluded and after he appears before a court of law,” one source said.
“So there is no meeting between the AU Panel of the Wise and Dr. Machar in Juba today,” the source added.
Multiple sources also confirmed to Radio Tamazuj that no investigations have begun since Machar was placed under house arrest on March 26.
His detention followed a deadly attack in Upper Nile state that killed a senior general and several soldiers. South Sudan’s government sought military support from Uganda, with Defense Minister Jacob Oboth confirming that Kiir made an urgent request on March 10 to avert a potential security crisis in South Sudan.
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