The South Sudanese claim that VP Machar was jailed for inciting rebellion

The government of South Sudan announced Friday that Riek Machar, the country’s first vice president, has been arrested and will be probed on charges of attempting to incite insurrection. This is the first confirmation of a detention that foreign powers worry could spark civil war again.

The arrest of Machar, a longtime adversary of President Salva Kiir, on Wednesday sparked appeals for moderation from around the world. Raila Odinga, the former prime minister of neighboring Kenya, was sent to ease tensions.

According to Machar’s party, a 2018 peace agreement that put an end to a five-year civil war between Kiir’s Dinka soldiers and Machar-aligned Nuer fighters was essentially nullified by his detention this week.

In an announcement, government spokesperson and information minister Michael Makuei declared that “Machar and his anti-peace colleagues of the SPLM/A-IO (Machar’s party), who are under arrest, will be investigated and brought to book accordingly.”

Machar, he said, has been contacting his supporters and “agitating them to rebel against the Government with aim of disrupting peace so that elections are not held, and South Sudan goes back to war.”

“The Peace Agreement has not collapsed and shall not under any circumstances,” declared Makuei.

Neither Machar nor his party responded to the accusations right away.

The White Army is an ethnic militia made up primarily of Nuer adolescents that clashed with the army in the northeastern town of Nasir this month, sparking the most recent crisis. Machar’s party has repeatedly disputed government charges that it supports the White Army.

In reaction to the conflict, Kiir’s troops captured a number of Machar’s top supporters, including the deputy army chief and the minister of petroleum.

In recent days, forces loyal to the two brothers have clashed outside of Juba and in other places.

ACCIDENTS AND Accusations

The peace process is in ruins, according to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called on its leaders to put down their arms and prioritize the needs of all South Sudanese citizens.

In New York, Guterres told reporters, “Let’s not mince words: What we are seeing is darkly reminiscent of the 2013 and 2016 civil wars, which killed 400,000 people,” alluding to instances of warfare.

The head of the East African Community coalition, Kenyan President William Ruto, claimed to have discussed Machar’s incarceration with Kiir.

On X, former Kenyan Prime Minister Odinga stated that he met with Kiir on Friday and was pleased by the prospect of a settlement to the dispute. He went to Uganda to meet with President Yoweri Museveni, he stated later.

In a statement, Machar’s party remarked that Odinga’s visit was a good diplomatic move.

Western nations have reduced their operations or shuttered embassies in South Sudan, including the US, UK, and Germany.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia, which has previously sponsored peace talks with South Sudan, and Museveni, who this month dispatched troops to South Sudan at the government’s request to assist safeguard the capital, were consulted, according to Ruto.

By appointing adviser Benjamin Bol Mel as second vice president, calling in the Ugandan army, and detaining some of Machar’s closest associates, Kiir has been trying to strengthen his position, according to political observers.

“Juba’s real political crisis—collapsing oil revenues and Salva Kiir’s controversial plan to install Bol Mel as his successor—is effectively being diverted by the pretense of Riek Machar’s control over the White Army,” stated Justin Lynch, managing director of Conflict Insights Group.