The United Nations has issued an urgent appeal for restraint in South Sudan amid reports that First Vice President Riek Machar has been arrested at his Juba residence, threatening to unravel the fragile peace between the country’s primary political factions.
UNMISS chief Nicholas Haysom warned that the world’s newest nation risks losing “hard-won gains of the past seven years” if it returns to “a state of war,” emphasizing that renewed fighting “will not only devastate South Sudan but also affect the entire region.”
According to Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Army In Opposition party, a convoy of twenty heavily armed vehicles “forcefully entered” the vice president’s compound Wednesday and disarmed his security detail. Party officials claim the country’s defense minister and national security chief delivered an arrest warrant on unspecified charges without following constitutional procedures or lifting Machar’s immunity.
The incident follows escalating tensions between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and Vice President Machar. UN reports confirmed clashes between rival forces outside the capital within the past 24 hours, while Machar’s party alleged government attacks on opposition military facilities around Juba since Monday.
The power-sharing arrangement established under the 2018 peace deal has deteriorated in recent weeks, with Kiir’s government detaining several officials from Machar’s party, including the petroleum minister and deputy army chief. Analysts suggest the 73-year-old Kiir has been maneuvering to secure his succession while politically marginalizing his longtime rival.
The political crisis has prompted diplomatic concerns, with Norwegian and German embassies closing while British and American missions reduce staffing and urge citizens to depart. South Sudan’s 2011 independence was quickly followed by a devastating civil war between Kiir and Machar’s forces that claimed over 40,000 lives.