The arrest of South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar has effectively collapsed the 2018 peace deal that ended the country’s five-year civil war, his party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM/IO), has declared.
Late Wednesday, an armed convoy led by top security officials, including the defense minister, stormed Machar’s residence in Juba, disarming his bodyguards before detaining him and his wife, Interior Minister Angelina Teny, according to SPLM/IO officials.
Growing International Alarm
The United States has urged authorities to release Machar, while the United Nations, African Union, and neighboring countries have expressed serious concern.
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) warned that the country is “on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict” and risks losing “the hard-won gains of the past seven years.”
Despite the escalating crisis, President Salva Kiir has yet to publicly comment on Machar’s arrest. However, he assured religious leaders on Wednesday that he would “never return the country to war.”
Tensions between Kiir and Machar have been rising for weeks, straining their fragile power-sharing agreement. The 2018 peace deal ended a brutal civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people, but ethnic tensions and sporadic violence have persisted.
War Threat Looms Over South Sudan
SPLM/IO deputy leader Oyet Nathaniel Pierino told reporters that Machar’s arrest “effectively brings the peace agreement to a collapse” and has placed the country’s stability in “serious jeopardy.”
UNMISS echoed this warning, saying that further escalation could not only devastate South Sudan but destabilize the entire region.
The situation has been further inflamed by the reported deployment of Ugandan troops and battle tanks into South Sudan at Kiir’s request, according to the UN Commission on Human Rights. The commission’s chair, Yasmin Sooka, warned that this move raises concerns about potential violations of the UN arms embargo and the growing involvement of foreign forces in South Sudan’s internal conflicts.
Tensions Rise in Juba and Beyond
Juba remains on edge with a heavy military presence surrounding Machar’s residence. Civil society leader Edmund Yakani described widespread panic among the public, warning that if war breaks out, it “will be more deadly and more violent because of [the need] for revenge.”
Meanwhile, renewed clashes between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar have erupted in the northern town of Nasir in oil-rich Upper Nile State, further increasing fears of a full-scale war.
In response to the deteriorating situation, the British and US embassies have scaled down their diplomatic staff, urging their citizens to leave the country, while Norwegian and German embassies have suspended operations in Juba.
International Mediation Efforts Underway
The African Union and the regional bloc, IGAD, are expected to send high-level delegations to Juba on Friday in an attempt to mediate the crisis.
SPLM/IO official Reath Muoch Tang confirmed that Machar is under house arrest, though security officials initially attempted to transfer him elsewhere. He denounced the move as a “blatant violation of the constitution and the Revitalized Peace Agreement.”
As diplomatic efforts intensify, the US Bureau of African Affairs has called on President Kiir to immediately release Machar and de-escalate tensions.
“We urge President Kiir to reverse this action & prevent further escalation of the situation,” the US posted on X.
With South Sudan once again at a crossroads, the coming days will be critical in determining whether the country can pull back from the brink of renewed war.
