There are concerns that South Sudan is on the brink of a renewed civil war following the arrest of the main opposition party leader, Riek Machar.
His party on Thursday said his detention has effectively collapsed a 2018 peace deal that ended five years of fighting which left hundreds of thousands dead.
It’s deputy chairperson, Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, said the agreement “has been abrogated” and that Machar’s arrest shows a lack of political goodwill to achieve peace and stability.
Under the fragile power-sharing agreement, President Salva Kiir leads a unity government with Machar, a former rebel leader, as First Vice President.
There are four other vice presidents in the country.
A member of Machar’s party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army – In Opposition (SPLM-IO), said a convoy of armed vehicles had entered his residence on Wednesday and arrested him.
“His bodyguards were disarmed, and an arrest warrant was delivered to him under unclear charges,” said SPLM-IO official, Reath Muoch Tang.
Machar is accused of supporting the White Army militia which clashed with the military in Upper Nile State earlier this month.
The two fought alongside one another during the civil war, but the SPLM-IO has denied ongoing links with the group.
Machar and his wife are being held at their home in the capital, Juba.
There has been widespread international condemnation of his arrest.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country (UNMISS) warns that renewed conflict will devastate not only South Sudan but also the entire region.
The head of UNMISS, Nicholas Haysom, said following reports of the detention of Machar all parties should “exercise restraint and uphold the Revitalised Peace Agreement”.
The African Union Commission’s chair, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said he would deploy a team to Juba “as part of efforts to de-escalate the situation.”
In a statement on X, the US State Department’s bureau of African affairs urged Kiir to reverse the house arrest and “prevent further escalation of the situation”.
Tensions have been increasing between Kiir and Machar’s parties and have escalated since the March attack on the army base.
The government responded with airstrikes, warning any civilian in the area where the army group is based to vacate or “face consequences”.
More than a dozen people have died since the airstrikes started in mid-March.
In early March, several of Machar’s senior allies were arrested by security forces, an action his supporters condemned as a “grave violation” of the peace deal.
Source: Africanews
