South Sudan’s VP Riek Machar Placed Under House Arrest
South Sudan’s First Vice President, Riek Machar, has been placed under house arrest by state security forces, his party announced on Thursday, raising concerns about potential instability in the conflict-ridden nation.
According to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), a heavily armed security convoy, including senior officials and the defense minister, entered Machar’s residence in Juba on Wednesday night, disarming his security detail.
“Dr. Machar is effectively under house arrest, though initial attempts were made to remove him,” said Reath Muoch Tang, head of the SPLM-IO’s foreign relations committee.
South Sudanese authorities have yet to issue an official statement regarding the situation.
The SPLM-IO further claimed that Machar, along with his wife, Interior Minister Angelina Teny, was detained under an unspecified arrest warrant. The party condemned the move as a direct violation of the country’s constitution and the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) warned that the country could slide back into widespread conflict. “The nation’s leadership is at a critical juncture, with the risk of renewed violence looming,” UNMISS stated, urging commitment to the 2018 peace deal that ended the five-year civil war, which claimed nearly 400,000 lives.
Tensions between Machar and President Salva Kiir have escalated in recent months, exacerbated by ethnic divisions and intermittent clashes. Reports of renewed fighting in Nasir, a town in Upper Nile State, have further fueled concerns.
In response to the crisis, foreign embassies have started reducing their presence. The US and UK missions have cut staff and advised their nationals to leave, while the Norwegian and German embassies have temporarily suspended operations in Juba.
