South Sudan: Vice President detained, collapsing 2018 peace deal
Vice President Riek Machar (L) and President Salva Kiir have a fragile 2018 power-sharing agreement © SIMON MAINA / AFP/File
The Vice President of South Sudan has been detained, effectively collapsing the peace deal that put an end to the 5-year civil war, signalling perhaps he final straw after the VP’s allies had been arrested earlier this month, according to The BBC.
An armed convoy led by top security officials, including the defence minister, entered Machar’s residence in the capital, Juba, and disarmed his bodyguards late on 26th March.
In a statement, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), said that the convoy had “forcefully entered” Machar’s residence. There, his bodyguards were disarmed, and an arrest warrant was issued “under unclear charges”.
The Vice President was detained alongside his wife Angelina Teny, who is also the interior minister of South Sudan
The government is yet to comment on Machar’s reported house arrest.
But addressing religious leaders on Wednesday, President Salva Kiir said “he will never return the country to war”.
The US has urged the authorities to free Machar, while the UN, African Union and neighbouring countries have all expressed their concern.
The UN Mission in South Sudan, Unmiss, warned that the world’s newest nation risked losing the “hard-won gains of the past seven years” if it returned to “a state of war”.
The deputy chair of SPLM-IO, Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, said Machar’s detention meant the power-sharing agreement was at an end.
He said, “effectively brings the agreement to a collapse, thus the prospect for peace and stability in South Sudan has now been put into serious jeopardy”.
Civil society leader Edmund Yakani told the AFP news agency, “The public are in a panic”.
He added, There is a high chance of full-scale war but it will be more deadly and more violent because of [the need] for revenge”.
The UN mission warned that violations of the 2018 peace deal “will not only devastate South Sudan but also affect the entire region”.
The British and US embassies have scaled down their diplomatic staff and urged their citizens to leave the country while the
Norwegian and German embassies have closed their operations in Juba.
The US has called on President Kiir to free his rival from the reported house arrest, urging the two leaders to show commitment to peace.
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