Presidential Pardon Signals New Approach
Sunday’s quiet airlift of Red Belt commander Leek Mamer Leek from Jonglei to Juba capped a presidential pardon intended to lower communal friction in the volatile east of South Sudan.
Security sources describe the gesture as part of a broader confidence-building drive, coordinated by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces, to co-opt grassroots fighters rather than confront them militarily.
The Rise of the Red Belt Movement
Formed in Bor in 2023 as a night-watch network protecting cattle camps, the Red Belt expanded quickly, filling security gaps left by overstretched state forces.
By October 2025, Juba had branded the outfit a rebel organisation after clashes with police, highlighting the thin line between vigilante activism and insurgency.
Behind-the-Scenes Negotiations in Jonglei
Talks began quietly on 4 January 2026, when Deputy CDF Gen. Kong Thaou and Gen. Gabriel Jok Riak entered Angakuei village without prior community consultations.
A youth representative says the generals contacted Mamer directly, offering amnesty and travel guarantees for nine lieutenants in exchange for immediate cessation of hostilities.
High-Level Security Talks in Juba
Within hours of landing, Mamer was escorted to the residence of veteran statesman Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk for a closed-door security briefing with the CDF, police chief and intelligence boss.
Participants agreed to nullify all rebellion charges and to integrate Red Belt elements into community policing units under military oversight, according to a source present.
Implications for South Sudan’s Security Doctrine
Analysts view the pardon as evidence that Juba increasingly favours strategic co-option of local armed groups amid budget constraints and dispersed rebel threats.
Whether the model can deliver lasting stability will depend on transparent command structures and sustained dialogue with communities traditionally wary of central authority.