Peter Lam Both, the SPLM Secretary General - Credit: Office of the FVP - March 29, 2022

The SPLM Secretary General has dismissed as untrue SPLM-IO claims that the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar is not free.

On Monday SPLM-IO deputy chairperson, Oyet Nathaniel Pierino criticized what he termed as an “unfair” treatment of Machar, who, according to him, was never permitted to travel outside of the capital Juba.

He attested that the first vice president was denied trips within and out of the country on several occasions, under unclear circumstances.

Oyet, who is also the transitional parliament’s First Deputy Speaker, further revealed that Machar has been left with no choice but to turn to Juba doctors for treatment.

Oyet could not state who is responsible for the restriction of the movements of his boss, who is technically the second most powerful man in the country.

Responding to the statement SPLM Secretary General Peter Lam Both said there has never been a complaint from Riek or anyone that Riek has been arrested or detained in Juba.

He said if the claim was true, Dr. Riek Machar would not be acting as President of South Sudan while President Salva Kiir is in the United States of America.

“Dr Riek knows very well that, he’s not under arrest or detention. He’s free to move from one place to another as he wants to go.

“There has never been a complaint from Riak or anyone that Riek has been arrested or detained in Juba. This is not true.

“Today Riek is the acting President of South Sudan as President Salva Kiir is in the United States of America. How can a detained person be an acting President? Such kind of utterances from Nathaniel Oyet, are irresponsible and condemnable because they are not true,” said Lam

Regarding Riek’s denial to go to Wau, Lam Both said, Dr. Machar is a very important Government official of South Sudan, and the country that is still healing for him to be sent to places, he said, might be dangerous for them.

He added that President Kiir cannot just release Dr. Machr to go to Wau when he doesn’t know who’s going to protect him there.

“If the Vice President is invited to go somewhere like Wau he (Oyet) was talking about, the President needs to know and security must be provided for him. It is not as simple as what you think.

‘That Vice-President can’t just go and walk to another place. These are very important Government officials of South Sudan. And this is a country that is still healing. You cannot take somebody to a place that might be dangerous for them,” he added.

According to Lam, the President is taking security precautionary measures to protect government officials including Dr. Riek Machar.

‘It is a precautionary measure. Had the President been informed ahead of time, he would have provided the necessary security for him to go to Wau or any other place. Nathaniel Oyet knows this but he doesn’t want to tell the truth.”