South Sudan's Vice President Riek Machar Placed Under House Arrest Amid Political Turmoil

Riek Machar, South Sudan's First Vice-President and a historical adversary to President Salva Kiir, has reportedly been placed under house arrest, with his political party alleging unlawful detention. An armed convoy led by key security officials invaded his residence in Juba on Wednesday, disarming his bodyguards, according to the Sudan People's Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM/IO). Reath Muoch Tang, chairman of the SPLM/IO’s foreign relations committee, confirmed Machar's detention and stated that the government had not offered any formal explanation. This development comes amid increasing tensions that have prompted the United Nations to warn of a potential return to civil war in South Sudan.

The SPLM/IO revealed that Machar was detained alongside his wife, Angelina Teny, who serves as the interior minister. The nature of the charges against them remains unspecified. Tang decried the actions as a serious violation of the constitution and the peace agreement established in 2018, which aimed to bring an end to a civil war that claimed nearly 400,000 lives. The UN mission in South Sudan cautioned that these violations threaten not only the stability of South Sudan but also the broader region. The British and US embassies have advised citizens to leave the country while other foreign embassies have reduced their staff due to safety concerns. The situation remains tense, particularly with reports of renewed clashes between forces loyal to Machar and those aligned with Kiir in northern South Sudan.

The world watches with trepidation as South Sudan risks slipping back into chaos, a mere seven years after the conclusion of a brutal civil war.