Fears over civil war in South Sudan mount after opposition leader detained

South Sudan’s primary opposition party has announced that its leader, Riek Machar, who also serves as one of the country’s vice presidents, has been detained.

Machar was “in confinement by the government” and his life was “at risk,” opposition spokesperson Pal Mai Deng stated in a video address to the media late on March 26, Caliber.Az reports citing Pan-African media.

The UN had cautioned on March 24 that the country was on the brink of a renewed civil war following clashes in the north between government forces and an armed faction aligned with Machar, urging all sides to adhere to the 2018 peace deal that ended the previous conflict. An opposition official recounted that 20 heavily armed vehicles arrived at Machar’s residence, where he was detained alongside his wife.

Earlier in March, security forces arrested several of Machar’s senior allies, a move his supporters denounced as a “grave violation” of the peace agreement.

South Sudan’s five-year civil war, which resulted in 400,000 deaths, concluded with the 2018 accord that united President Salva Kiir and Machar in a coalition government, with Machar assuming one of the five vice presidential roles.

However, tensions between Kiir’s and Machar’s factions have been rising, escalating further in March when the White Army, a pro-Machar armed group, seized an army base in Upper Nile state and attacked a UN helicopter.

The article reports that the government retaliated with airstrikes, cautioning civilians in the area controlled by the armed faction to leave or “face consequences.”

Since the mid-March airstrikes began, over a dozen people have lost their lives, with the UN warning that another civil war could erupt if leaders fail to prioritize the country’s stability.

According to the publication, Germany and Norway have temporarily shut their embassies in Juba, while the US Embassy has further reduced its already minimal staff, advising American citizens to be prepared to shelter in place should the “situation deteriorate further.” The British Embassy also announced a temporary downsizing of its personnel, stating that consular services are now “severely limited.”

By Nazrin Sadigova