First Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament Oyet Nathaniel. (Photo: Courtesy).

JUBA, (Eye Radio) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM-IO) has said there is an absence of a conducive environment for dialogue among the South Sudan peace parties in Juba, in a statement to peace guarantors, in which they suggest any engagement takes place in a neutral venue.
The group’s suggestion, which came ahead of the arrival of an African Union panel members in Juba, did not however mention a specific place.

In the statement addressed to the AU, UN, IGAD, and the peace monitoring mechanism R-JMEC, SPLM-IO welcomed the AU delegation’s visit to Juba for a four-day visit until 6th April 2015. It described the visit as timely, as the 2018 revitalized peace agreement “is at the brink of collapse.”

According to the group, its members currently trapped in Juba are not free to express the objective position of the peace party, due to fear of intimidation, arrest and detention.

The statement signed by Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, the deputy chairman of SPLM/A-IO and first deputy speaker of the national parliament, called for the release of Dr. Riek Machar and other members of the group.

The SPLM-IO added that unconditional release of Machar and other political detainees should happen before commencement of any dialogue, adding that the arrest of a signatory to the peace pact shall render the agreement abrogated.

The group also expressed concerns about alleged violations of the peace agreement at both national and state levels.

The United Nations said South Sudan is on the brink of civil war following outbreak of violence in Upper Nile, Western Equatoria, Western Bahr el Ghazal, and in cantonment sites in Central Equatoria, as well as the detention of SPLM-IO officials.

But the Minister of Information Michael Makuei has maintained that the 2018 revitalized peace agreement has not collapsed and is in fact being implemented, despite First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar’s house arrest.

During a press conference on March 28, Makuei explained that the SPLM-IO leader was being investigated over accusations that he “agitated” his forces to fight the government.