Head of UNMISS urges Machar urgent release, calls on gov’t to issue a valid passport
Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM/A-IO, Dr. Riek Machar Teny addressing thousands of jubilant celebrants during his return to South Sudan in 2018 after he fled the country following the collapse of the 2015 peace agreement (Photo credit: Supplied)
Nov 15th, 2019 (SSNN)-The head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the UN Special Representative, David Shearer, urges the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to immediately release prominent opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar from his current status and long-term confinement.
Shearer made the remarks on Thursday during a briefing to the African Union Peace and Security Council on the situation in South Sudan. He also appealed to South Sudan government to issue a valid passport to the opposition leader, Dr. Riek Machar as part of confidence-building between the Parties.
Resolution of the uncertain status of Dr. Machar.
“This ongoing obstacle is surely not difficult to fix by IGAD and the government. IGAD should lift all restrictions. And the South Sudan Government should issue Dr Machar with a passport – in the spirit of building trust and confidence.”
South Sudan’s main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO is one of the signatory parties to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.
Earlier this month, the Troika countries (the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway) issued joint press statement, calling upon the IGAD to regularise Dr. Machar’s status, saying such a step would facilitate further progress in the implementation of the peace deal.
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