Vice President arrested in South Sudan
Riek Machar, the Vice President of South Sudan, has been arrested on “unclear charges”.
According to France 24, a convoy of 20 heavily armed vehicles stormed Machar’s Juba residence and arrested him. The arrest is a dramatic escalation in tensions that have been growing between Salva Kiir, the President, and Machar. The United Nations has claimed that South Sudan now lies on the edge of civil war.
In a statement shared on Facebook by Machar’s party they said: “We strongly condemn the unconstitutional actions taken today by the Minister of Defence and the Chief of National Security who, alongside more than 20 heavily armed vehicles, forcefully entered the residence of the First Vice President.”
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said that: “Tonight, the country’s leaders stand on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict.’
Kiir and Machar entered into a government of “national unity” after the civil war ended in 2018 with the two men agreeing to hold elections every few years.
However, the postponement of elections has strained tensions between the two men – culminating in the arrest of Machar.
Elections were due to be held in February 2023 however were postponed until 2024 before being further postponed until 2026, as reported by Maghrebi on March 25th.
Political analysts have suggested that Kiir, now 73, has no interest in holding democratic elections that would offer Machar a shot at power.
Instead, he is looking to ensure his succession plan with Kiir arresting more than 20 of Machar’s political and military allies in the government of “national unity”.
Simultaneous to the developing political conflict has been the spread of violence throughout parts of the country.
Violent clashes have broken out between forces loyal to the two rivals, with the largest clashes coming in the northeastern Nasir County of the Upper Nile State.
Machar and his allies claim that military training facilities have been attacked by government-backed forces.
Kiir and his allies have not admitted culpability, instead accusing Machar’s forces of using the bases to initiate aggressive manoeuvres near the capital of Juba.
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