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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 30185, member: 2262"] UN head António Guterres asked South Sudan leader Salva Kiir to free First Vice President Riek Machar from custody and bring back the unity government created by the 2018 peace deal. Guterres told reporters Friday that Machar's arrest has broken the peace agreement. He called for South Sudan leaders to stop fighting each other politically and release all detained officials immediately. Guterres stressed that following the peace agreement remains the only legal path to hold peaceful elections next year. He urged leaders to keep the promises they made when signing the agreement, which sets the framework for free elections in December 2026. He called on countries that helped create the 2018 agreement to protect it and speak against anyone trying to ruin it. The UN chief talked with African Union Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf Thursday morning about the crisis. The UN backs the African plan to send the Panel of the Wise experts and supports efforts by Kenya's special messenger. The AU Chair plans to deploy this panel, led by retired Justice Effie Owuor from Kenya. President William Ruto sent former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to South Sudan after talking with leaders from Uganda and Ethiopia. SPLA/M-IO officials declared the peace deal dead after soldiers put Machar under house arrest. This happened when military intelligence and presidential guards followed orders from President Kiir. Many Western nations called for his release Thursday, including the US, UK, France, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, and European Union diplomats. IGAD regional group expressed alarm, saying the arrest hurts the fragile peace agreement from August 2018. Security concerns forced Germany and Norway to close their embassies in Juba, with the US and UK cutting staff numbers as the situation worsened. [/QUOTE]

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