South Sudanese soldiers encircled Vice President Riek Machar’s residence in the capital on Wednesday, following the arrest of several of his allies after an armed faction aligned with him seized control of an army base in the country’s north.
Machar, whose longstanding political rivalry with President Salva Kiir has previously ignited civil war, warned last month that the dismissal of several of his allies from government positions threatened the 2018 peace agreement.
This deal, signed between him and Kiir, brought an end to a five-year conflict that claimed the lives of more than 400,000 people.
Deputy army chief Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, a known Machar loyalist, was taken into custody on Tuesday in connection with the northern clashes.
South Sudan Vice President Riek MacharOn Wednesday, Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol, another Machar ally, was also detained along with his bodyguards and family members. Authorities have not provided an explanation for the arrests.
Neither Machar nor his SPLM-IO party has issued a statement regarding the conflict. However, Water Minister Pal Mai Deng, who also serves as the party’s spokesperson, warned that Lam’s arrest “puts the entire peace agreement at risk.”
Last week, Western diplomats urged the country’s leaders to ease tensions.
Ter Manyang Gatwich, Executive Director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy, has called for the immediate release of those detained to prevent further escalation of violence and the possibility of what he described as a “full-scale war.”
South Sudan has yet to fully implement the 2018 peace accord, and national elections originally scheduled for last year were postponed by two years due to financial constraints.