The South Sudan opposition party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), said Friday that it remains committed to implementing the 2018 revitalized peace agreement despite the detention of several senior party officials. Stephen Par Kuol, a member of the SPLM-IO political bureau and minister of peacebuilding in the transitional unity government, said the opposition will continue participating in key security mechanisms outlined in the peace agreement. We urge all signatory parties and stakeholders to recommit themselves to the full implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement in both letter and spirit, Kuol told journalists in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. The statement follows First Vice President Riek Machar's announcement last week regarding SPLM-IO's withdrawal from mechanisms such as the Joint Defense Board, the High-Level Political Committee, the Joint Military Ceasefire Committee, and the Joint Transitional Security Committee. Kuol called for calm, assuring both local civilians and the international community that dialogue is underway among the parties to resolve the political crisis amicably. His remarks came as Kenya's former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who was appointed by President William Ruto as a special envoy to South Sudan, expressed optimism about finding a resolution to the escalating crisis. Odinga, who arrived in Juba on Friday, said he had detailed and fruitful discussions with South Sudan President Salva Kiir regarding the volatile political situation in the country. I am encouraged by the possibility of a resolution to the conflict. I will be briefing regional leaders and President William Ruto on my mission and a possible roadmap to sustainable peace and stability, Odinga posted on the social media platform X. Meanwhile, the South Sudan government said on Friday that Machar's house arrest was aimed at restoring calm and preventing full-blown conflict following clashes between government and opposition forces. Kuol called for Machar's immediate release and urged regional blocs to facilitate dialogue between Kiir and Machar. One of the reasons we are calling for calm is to restore peace of mind. The government has assured us that those of us in Juba are safe. As for those who have fled, joined other factions, or are calling for war, we have distanced ourselves from such statements, Kuol said. Michael Makuei Lueth, minister of information, communication technology and postal services, accused Machar of ordering his forces, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army-in-Opposition (SPLM/A-IO), to attack the South Sudan People's Defense Forces in several parts of the country since early March. As a result, Kiir ordered Machar's house arrest pending an investigation, Makuei said. The President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, who is responsible for the safety and security of all citizens and their property, directed that Machar be placed under house arrest pending investigation, Makuei told journalists in Juba, adding that following the clashes, several opposition members have gone missing from the capital. Machar was placed under house arrest on Wednesday night after an armed convoy led by top security officials, including the defense minister, entered his residence in Juba and disarmed his bodyguards. The standoff has raised concerns that South Sudan could slide back into conflict, more than six years after emerging from a civil war that left thousands dead and displaced millions. South Sudan gained independence in July 2011, but war erupted in December 2013 between forces loyal to Kiir and opposition troops led by Machar, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. The 2018 peace agreement ended the fighting and established a unity government. However, relations between Kiir and Machar, who have dominated South Sudan's politics for decades, remain strained.
