SPLM-IO sets Machar’s release as precondition for ceasefire talks

JUBA — South Sudan’s main armed opposition group led by suspended First Vice President Riek Machar on Tuesday welcomed a call by Western diplomats for unhindered humanitarian access but ruled out any ceasefire negotiations until the government releases their leader.

In a statement responding to an appeal by nine Western embassies in the country for an immediate halt to fighting, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) said dialogue was impossible while its leadership remained behind bars.

Pal Mai Deng, the SPLM-IO spokesperson and chairperson of the national committee for information and communication, said the group remains committed to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement known as R-ARCSS but drew a hard line on the current crackdown.

“SPLM-IO is sincerely committed to R-ARCSS and dialogue; however, the key to dialogue and cessation of hostility is an immediate and unconditional release of the First Vice President and those unjustly detained along with him,” Deng said in the statement issued Tuesday.

The ultimatum comes hours after envoys from the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, and other Western powers warned that escalating violence in Jonglei and Western Equatoria threatens to collapse the country’s transition.

The diplomats called “on all parties to agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities and to resolve issues through peaceful dialogue,” and renewed their plea “for all parties to guarantee safe and unhindered humanitarian access.”

While the SPLM-IO said it “welcomed and appreciated” the international focus on humanitarian access, its stance signals a deepening deadlock.

Machar was arrested on March 26 and is currently standing trial on charges the opposition dismisses as politically motivated. Other high-profile detainees include Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chuol and the SPLA-IO Chief of Staff, Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam.

The government has so far rejected calls for their release, insisting the trial must run its course.