South Sudan: Detention of VP Riek Machar sparks crisis as peace deal crumbles

The detention of South Sudan’s First Vice President, Riek Machar, has led to the effective collapse of the 2018 peace deal that ended the nation’s five-year civil war, according to his party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM/IO).

On Wednesday night, a heavily armed government convoy, led by top security officials—including the defense minister—stormed Machar’s residence in Juba, disarming his bodyguards and placing him under house arrest along with his wife, Angelina Teny, the country’s interior minister.

“The arrest and detention of H.E Dr Riek Machar effectively brings the [peace] agreement to a collapse,” stated SPLM/IO deputy leader Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, who warned that South Sudan’s stability is now in serious jeopardy.

While President Salva Kiir has vowed “never to return the country to war,” rising tensions have sparked fears of renewed conflict.

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) issued a stark warning, stating that the nation stands “on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict.”

With troops surrounding Machar’s home and violent clashes erupting in Upper Nile State, diplomatic missions—including those of the US, UK, Norway, and Germany—have scaled down operations or shut down entirely.

The US has urged President Kiir to release Machar, warning that violations of the peace agreement could destabilize the entire region.