The arrests come amid renewed tensions between Machar and President Salva Kiir, threatening the fragile peace agreement that ended South Sudan’s brutal civil war.
The U.S. Bureau of African Affairs, in a statement on X, voiced dissatisfaction with the arrest, urging President Salva Kiir to reverse the decision.
The bureau warned that this move could further escalate tensions and destabilize the already fragile situation in South Sudan.
“We are concerned by reports that South Sudan’s First Vice President Machar is under house arrest, we urge President Kiir to reverse this action & prevent further escalation of the situation.” the statement noted.
Machar’s SPLM-IO party claims that government forces forcefully entered his residence to deliver an arrest warrant, effectively placing him under house arrest.
His allies, including Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol and Deputy Army Chief General Gabriel Duop Lam, have also been detained.
The South Sudanese military has not officially commented on the situation, but reports indicate that the arrests follow an incident where an armed group linked to Machar overran a government military base in Upper Nile State.
South Sudan’s growing instability
The arrests come as South Sudan faces renewed violence, particularly in Nasir County, where clashes between the White Army and government troops have intensified.
The militia, historically known for its independence, has launched attacks in what it claims to be self-defense, triggering heavy government retaliation, including aerial bombardments with support from Ugandan forces.
Recall the head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, previously warned that the country was on the brink of renewed conflict, urging all parties to lay down their arms.
These escalating tensions now threaten to unravel the fragile 2018 peace deal between President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar, which had brought a temporary halt to civil war.
In response to the deteriorating security situation, several embassies, including those of Norway and Germany, have temporarily halted operations and advised their nationals to leave South Sudan as the risk of full-scale conflict grows.
