The United States government has demanded the release of South Sudan’s main opposition leader, who also serves as the First Vice President, Riek Machar.
Machar is said to have been arrested on Wednesday, according to his party. The arrest comes amid escalating tensions amid failed numerous peace initiatives led by President William Ruto.
On Wednesday, a convoy consisting of 20 heavily armed vehicles reportedly stormed the residence of South Sudan's first vice president in Juba, where they disarmed his security personnel.
This incident was described by Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLM-IO) party, which also noted that the country's defence minister and chief of national security were present in the convoy that brought an arrest warrant for the vice president.
In a statement shared on Facebook, Reath Muoch Tang, chairman of Machar’s foreign relations committee, confirmed the arrest, terming the actions as “unconstitutional."
“An arrest warrant was delivered to him under unclear charges,” Muoch Tang said. According to Tang, it is unclear where Machar is being held, and the opposition is making efforts to trace him.
He added, “This act is a blatant violation of the Constitution and the Revitalised Peace Agreement, as no legal procedures such as lifting his immunity have been followed.”
Since late February, escalating conflict in the north-eastern Upper Nile State has led President Kiir’s administration to arrest multiple officials from Richard Machar’s party, including the petroleum minister and the deputy army chief.
Additionally, Machar's party reported that government forces launched assaults on a military base and two training centres in the vicinity of Juba starting on Monday.
The US, through its Bureau of African Affairs, revealed that Machar has been placed under house arrest.
President Donald Trump’s government asked South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir to release Machar to stop any further escalations.
“We are concerned by reports that South Sudan's First Vice President, Machar, is under house arrest. We urge President Kiir to reverse this action and prevent further escalation of the situation,” the US said in a statement on X.
The arrest comes amid rising hostilities in the world’s youngest country, with warnings from the United Nations that South Sudan is teetering on the brink of civil war.
The hostilities have escalated massively over the last few weeks, forcing Uganda to begin airstrikes in South Sudan.
In February, President Ruto suspended the Nairobi-led mediation to allow for consultations requested by the South Sudanese government delegation. The talks were set to resume in March, but they have been beset by accusations and counter accusations.
On Wednesday, the United Nations highlighted recent hostilities that erupted over the last day between military factions supporting President Salva Kiir and those aligned with Vice President Machar, occurring in the vicinity of Juba, the capital.
