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The house arrest of Riek Machar, First Vice-President of South Sudan, has severely undermined the peace agreement that concluded the five-year civil war from 2013 to 2018, according to a statement from Machar’s party released on Thursday.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has expressed concern for the nation’s stability, indicating that the situation may escalate into a broader conflict. “This crisis poses a serious threat not only to South Sudan but also to the surrounding region,” stated UNMISS.
The civil war, primarily driven by ethnic tensions, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, following South Sudan’s independence from Sudan in 2011.
Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, deputy chair of Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM-IO), characterized Machar’s detention as effectively nullifying the peace deal. He emphasized, “This development jeopardizes any hope for peace and stability in the nation.”
The SPLM-IO reported that the South Sudanese defense minister and the chief of national security forcibly entered Machar’s Juba residence on Wednesday to present an arrest warrant.
Machar, along with his wife, is accused of having ties to the White Army militia involved in recent clashes with government forces in Nasir, Sudan. However, officials from Machar’s party have denied any active relationships with the White Army, which they had previously allied with during the conflict.
The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan condemned the arrests, viewing them as indicative of a disintegration of the peace process. Yasmin Sooka, chairperson of the commission, stated, “Targeting opposition leaders and civilians shows a blatant disregard for both international law and the future of this nation.”
Calls for restraint have also come from regional entities such as Kenya, the African Union, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.
As of Thursday, a heavy military presence surrounded Machar’s home, following reports of firefights between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and Machar’s supporters near Juba. The U.S. Bureau of African Affairs has urged President Kiir to release Machar and for South Sudan’s leaders to adhere to their commitments to peace.
The coalition government, which shares power between Kiir and Machar, has been criticized for delaying critical elements of the peace agreement, including national elections and the integration of their military forces into one unified army.
Political analysts suggest that President Kiir, 73, has been tightening his grip on power by detaining some of Machar’s senior allies, involving Uganda’s military to enhance security in the capital, and appointing advisor Benjamin Bol Mel as second vice-president. There are concerns that Kiir may be positioning Bol Mel, who is under U.S. sanctions for alleged money-laundering associations, as his potential successor. The South Sudanese government, however, claims that the sanctions against Bol Mel were based on inaccurate information.
The UN previously cautioned that renewed violence in Nasir, located approximately 450 kilometers northeast of Juba, coupled with a surge of hate speech, could rekindle ethnic conflicts reminiscent of the previous civil war.
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