By Alan Clement
Some members of Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) have urged the government to release detained opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny.
The leader of Sudan People Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) Dr. Machar was detained in, March following conflict in Nasir in Upper Nile State.
The government said the Opposition leaders was in conflict with the law hence he should undergo investigation.
Meanwhile during parliamentary sitting on Monday, some members of parliament under SPLM-IO tickets called for the immediate release of Dr. Machar in order to ease the implementation of peace agreement.
The fourth ordinary sitting on the report of the Select Committee on the President’s Speech, delivered at the opening of the 1st session of the Transitional National Legislature, July 16th, 2025 was dominated by the call for the release of Dr. Machar.
The law makers argued that the president call for Peace in the country during reopening should start with release of Dr. Machar and other political detainees.
During the session, James Thou of SPLM-IO, representing Mayom County, criticized the government for detaining SPLM/A-IO leadership, including Machar, saying their absence undermines the credibility of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.
“The high-level committee said that now the leadership of SPLM-IO is paralyzed because the leadership is in detention. When will the leadership be taken to court and the charges made known so that we can fix the problem?” he asked.
These sentiments were echoed by Gatkuoth Wad of Ayod County who made a direct appeal to the President to cooperate with his political partners. “If you don’t want to take this country back to war, cooperate with your partners,” Gatkuoth said.
“Our leader Dr. Riek is in detention for more than five months without anything. If you need peace, how come you keep others in jail?” he asked. Dr. Riek is the cornerstone of the peace in this country,” he stated.
The Speaker of the National Legislature, Jemma Nunu Kumba, however, ruled that the matter was under the jurisdiction of the executive and judiciary, and therefore could not be debated in parliament. “The issue of detention is being addressed by the executive and judiciary and until they finish their work, that issue cannot be raised in parliament,” she said, while urging the relevant authorities to expedite the process.
The debate comes as South Sudan prepares for its first elections since independence, scheduled for December 2026. Lawmakers warned that without full implementation of the peace deal and inclusive dialogue with all political actors, the path to credible elections and sustainable peace could be in jeopardy.
Prof. Peter Aduok of SSOA called for a broader reconciliation framework, suggesting that the President should issue a general amnesty. “What the country needs is peace. The peace we are in now is relative, not true peace,” he said adding, “Let us ask the president to give general amnesty to all the people in and outside South Sudan.”
President Kiir, in his opening speech, reaffirmed that South Sudan “will not return to war” and urged all parties to recommit to the peace agreement without preconditions. But as tensions rise over Machar’s detention, pressure is mounting on the government to match words with actions to prevent a relapse into conflict.
The calls from Parliament reflect a broader concern about the viability of the peace agreement. Lawmakers like Goch Makuach Mayol of SPLM stressed the urgency of achieving national unity to prepare for the December 2026 elections and demanded that the High-Level Committee on peace implementation report to Parliament.
Other MPs, including Sarah Charity Kimbo of SSOA, raised security concerns, questioning the Minister of Defense’s silence on the encroachment by Ugandan forces in Kajokeji as well as Eastern Equatoria State.
The debate also touched on the struggling economy, which is overly dependent on oil, and the diversion of teachers’ salaries for other purposes, a point highlighted by James Thou who urged the August house to summon the Minister of General Education to clarify why the funds meant for teachers’ salaries were diverted for marking examinations.