Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has called for the immediate and unconditional release of South Sudan’s First Vice President, Riek Machar, as a critical step toward saving the country’s fragile peace process.
The President made this demand during the C-5 Plus Summit, the African Union High-Level Ad-hoc Committee for South Sudan, held on the sidelines of the 39th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Ethiopia.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Tinubu warned that South Sudan cannot continue on its current “trajectory” of insecurity and political deadlock.
Nigeria’s position, presented to a committee chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, focuses on breaking the stalemate in the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement.
Key demands from Nigeria include the immediate freedom of Riek Machar and other opposition figures currently in detention, and the convening of an all-inclusive reconciliation forum to build “elite consensus.”
Nigeria also demands a push for stakeholders to prioritise peaceful and inclusive national elections to build trust in the country’s future.
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“Without national unity and elite consensus, not much can be achieved on the transition programme in South Sudan,” Tinubu cautioned.
In a separate but equally significant security commitment, Nigeria has pledged to serve as the operational backbone for the Combined Maritime Task Force (CMTF) in the Gulf of Guinea.
To ensure the force can effectively combat piracy and transnational crimes, Nigeria has committed to providing dedicated office buildings for the Force Headquarters, ships and helicopters for patrol and rapid response and temporary staff to facilitate immediate take-off.
Shettima also utilised the AU session to advocate for a more coordinated African response to three specific crises: debt distress, security threats, and the exploitation of minerals.
Nigeria also expressed its support for the African Standby Force (ASF), urging stronger and faster cooperation between the African Union and regional bodies to enhance continental security.
It further pushed for the full activation of the African Court of Justice and called for wider ratification of the protocol establishing the African Parliament.
The summit was attended by several heads of state, including the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, and the President of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
President Ramaphosa praised the “C-5 Plus” framework as a vital demonstration of African leaders’ commitment to finding lasting solutions for the continent’s youngest nation.
