African Union (AU) mediators arrived in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, on Wednesday April 2 to hold urgent talks aimed at preventing a return to civil conflict following the house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar last week.
The arrest, which came amid escalating clashes between government forces and the White Army militia in Upper Nile state, has sparked a surge in political tensions. President Salva Kiir’s government has accused Machar of inciting rebellion, while his supporters deny any involvement with the militia, despite past alliances during the country’s brutal 2013-2018 civil war.
The AU delegation, which includes notable figures such as former Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye and former Kenyan judge Effie Owuor, arrived in Juba to facilitate dialogue and support the ongoing peace process.
Machar’s SPLM-IO party has welcomed the delegation, viewing the talks as a crucial step towards de-escalating tensions. Meanwhile, the AU Peace and Security Council has called for Machar’s “immediate and unconditional release,” warning that his detention jeopardises the 2018 peace agreement that ended the country’s devastating conflict.
Amidst growing instability within Kiir’s own political camp and the broader regional turmoil exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Sudan, there are concerns that the ethnic divisions between Kiir’s Dinka-led forces and Machar’s Nuer-aligned faction could be reignited. The mediation efforts, which also include Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, aim to prevent a relapse into civil war and to stabilise the fragile peace that has held since the end of the previous conflict.