First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar. August 4, 2022. (PPU/Facebook).

First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar said on Thursday he has been staying in Juba to ensure that people know there is peace, but the SPLM-IO leader was tight-lipped about the alleged restriction of his movements.

Machar returned to Juba in 2020 – two years after the signing of the peace deal which ended the country’s devastating civil war.

Since then, he has never traveled to the countryside or outside South Sudan – a situation that his deputy describes as an unfair restriction on his movements.

Hon. Oyet Nathaniel, who is also the First Deputy Speaker of parliament, told a news conference on Monday that Dr. Machar is not being permitted to travel beyond Juba and cannot even travel for medical reason.

The claims were denied by SPLM Secretary General Peter Lam Both, who insisted that Machar is a free man.

But in what appeared to be a clarification to the situation, the SPLM-IO leader said he never went out in the last three years to ensure that people know there is peace.

“Be in frontline for peace because it is your future, so that your education is not interrupted but for us, we are all committed that there should be peace in this country and that is why I been staying in Juba all this time,” Machar said.

“I never went out to ensure that people know there is peace. By the time, nobody will say oh no there is there and here.”

FVP Machar was speaking at the commemoration of International Day of Peace in Juba on Thursday.

He said the transitional government is committed to peace, but urged citizens to lead the process and eradicate conflicts which can disrupt their future.

In August 2022, the first vice president opened up about the speculations that his movement has been restricted since his arrival in the capital.

Speaking during the graduation of more than 20,000 unified forces, Machar said he has been marooned and stuck in the capital Juba.

“This is the day that our people have been waiting for, millions in the countryside, others in the Protection of Civilians Sites [PoCs], millions of refugees, and of course, myself who have been marooned and stuck in Juba.”