Faith Nyasuguta
South Sudan’s political climate has been thrown into turmoil after First Vice-President Riek Machar was placed under house arrest, his party announced.
Machar, a long-time rival of President Salva Kiir, was reportedly detained late Wednesday when an armed convoy, led by top security officials, including the defense minister, stormed his residence in Juba. His bodyguards were disarmed, effectively leaving him in isolation.
According to Reath Muoch Tang, chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM/IO) foreign relations committee, Machar was not only confined to his home but security forces initially attempted to forcibly remove him. “Technically, Dr. Machar is under house arrest, but security officials first tried to take him away,” Tang stated.
Adding to the tension, Machar’s wife, Angelina Teny, who also serves as the Interior Minister, was reportedly detained alongside him. The SPLM/IO claims an arrest warrant was issued under unclear charges, labeling the move a “blatant violation” of the country’s constitution and the Revitalized Peace Agreement, which ended the country’s brutal civil war in 2018.
The United Nations has expressed grave concerns, warning that the world’s youngest nation is on the edge of plunging back into civil war. “Tonight, the country’s leaders stand on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict,” the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a strongly worded statement, cautioning that violations of the 2018 peace accord could destabilize not just South Sudan, but the entire region.
South Sudan’s five-year civil war, which ended in 2018, left nearly 400,000 people dead and displaced millions. However, in the years since, tensions between Kiir and Machar have remained high, with ethnic rivalries and sporadic violence fueling instability.
In response to the unfolding crisis, Western embassies are scaling back operations. The UK and US embassies have reduced diplomatic staff, urging their citizens to leave South Sudan immediately. Meanwhile, Norwegian and German embassies have suspended operations in Juba due to security concerns.
Adding to the instability, fresh clashes have erupted in the northern town of Nasir, located in the oil-rich Upper Nile State, between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar.
As tensions escalate, South Sudan faces a critical moment: will the fragile peace hold, or will the nation descend once again into chaos?
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