Rt. Hon. Oyet Nathaniel, Acting Chairman of SPLM/A-IO (Courtesy)
Nairobi, February 6, 2026
By Savanna Radio East Africa Correspondent…
Allies of South Sudan’s detained First Vice President Riek Machar say they will only join the upcoming Nairobi peace talks if key conditions are met, including his unconditional release and a firm recommitment to the 2018 peace agreement, raising fresh uncertainty over Kenya’s latest mediation push. Officials from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement‑in‑Opposition (SPLM‑IO) have submitted a position paper to Kenyan mediators ahead of the talks, which are tentatively scheduled to begin on 9 February under the Tumaini Initiative framework. In the document, the SPLM‑IO makes clear it will not participate in any dialogue unless Machar is released from detention in Juba and allowed to engage directly in negotiations as the movement’s leader and First Vice President.
The position paper also calls for an immediate ceasefire and the full implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R‑ARCSS). This 2018 peace deal ended five years of civil war but has since come under mounting strain. SPLM‑IO officials say their movement remains committed to an inclusive political dialogue that addresses the release of political detainees, respect for the cessation of hostilities, and renewed guarantees for the broader peace roadmap.
Kenyan President William Ruto is expected to serve as principal facilitator, working with President Kiir and regional bloc IGAD to steer a four‑week process focused on ending the political deadlock and preparing the ground for elections. Mediators have circulated a draft framework to the government, SPLM‑IO and other opposition groups, church leaders and civil society, proposing a dialogue in which all parties participate as equal stakeholders.
The SPLM‑IO’s position paper centres on a small set of clear, non‑negotiable conditions for its participation in the Nairobi talks. The paper frames these conditions within a call for a transparent, inclusive national dialogue under the Tumaini Initiative, in which all parties participate as equal stakeholders rather than through unilateral government‑driven committees.
Machar was placed under house arrest in Juba on 26 March 2025, when security officials delivered an arrest warrant at his residence and disarmed his guards. Since then he has remained confined, with observers noting that he has no free communication with his forces and operates under tight security restrictions. In September 2025, South Sudan’s justice minister announced that Machar had been charged over the Nasir incident, including treason, murder, conspiracy, terrorism, destruction of public property and military assets, and crimes against humanity, a charges Machar denied. As of February 2026 briefings and reports, he is still under house arrest while court proceedings continue, and some of his co‑accused are held in National Security Service detention facilities.
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