A delegation from the African Union (AU) did not meet with detained First Vice President Riek Machar in Juba this week to discuss South Sudan’s stalled peace deal, multiple high-level diplomatic sources said.
Social media reports since Monday claimed that an AU team met Machar, who is under house arrest, to discuss his detention conditions and the broader peace process. However, senior diplomats dismissed the reports as false.
An AU delegation, including Ambassador Churchill Ewumbue-Monono, Cameroon’s permanent representative to the AU and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, is currently in Juba.
While the AU has advocated for the release of detainees and renewed dialogue between President Salva Kiir and Machar—key figures in the 2018 peace deal—the delegation’s visit focuses on humanitarian management, migration policies, and compliance with AU protocols on free movement.
A senior African diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that no meeting took place in Juba to address Machar’s detention or challenges to the peace agreement, calling the social media reports “fake news.”
Another diplomat involved in South Sudan’s peace process said a confidential meeting with Machar had been planned but was canceled after details leaked, prompting authorities to reconsider.
“The authorities now say they want to consult further, but it seems stalled. There has been little progress on the matter,” the diplomat said.
SPLM-IO spokesperson and Water Minister Pal Mai Deng also denied knowledge of any such meeting with Machar in Juba. “We’ve only seen it on social media but are not aware of it,” he said.
Mediation efforts by the AU and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to ease tensions in South Sudan and secure Machar’s release have so far failed. Previous requests by the EU, Norway, Kenyan envoy Raila Odinga, and the AU Panel of the Wise to meet Machar were rejected by Juba.
Kiir’s allies say Machar will face trial after being removed from office over alleged involvement in violence in Nasir, Upper Nile State. Information Minister Michael Makuei said in April that Machar would be ousted if investigations proved he incited clashes in March.
Tensions flared in early March between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-In Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) following intense fighting in Nasir County, Upper Nile State. The SSPDF accused the SPLM/A-IO of inciting the White Army militia to attack its positions in Upper Nile, which the latter denied.
The heightened tensions led to Machar’s arrest on March 26, along with several of his close political and military allies, who were accused of fomenting rebellion.