Reports from South Sudan say that First Vice President Riek Machar has been arrested after an armed convoy led by government officials entered his residence in the capital, Juba.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) early Thursday, March 27 warned that the arrest of Machar could further escalate the conflict in the world’s newest country.
In a statement, UNMISS chief Nicholas Haysom called on all parties in the conflict that is threatening to return South Sudan to a “State of War” to exercise restraint and uphold the Revitalized Peace Agreement.
“Tonight, the country’s leaders stand on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict or taking the country forward towards peace, recovery and democracy in the spirit of the consensus that was reached in 2018 when they signed and committed to implementing a Revitalized Peace Agreement,” Haysom said.
Haysom rued that parties (leaders) trampling upon the said agreement would jeopardise the “hard-won” gains of the past seven years, and risk returning the country back into a state of war, something that will devastate not only South Sudan but also affect the entire region.
UNMISS is now urging parties to immediately cease hostilities and engage in constructive dialogue that puts the best interests of South Sudanese people at the forefront of “this pivotal moment for the world’s newest nation”.
Machar-led Sudan People’s Liberation Army In Opposition (SPLM/IO) Party claims that a convoy of 20 heavily armed vehicles forcefully entered his residence and disarmed his bodyguards on Wednesday, March 26.
“We strongly condemn the unconstitutional actions taken today by the Minister of Defense and the Chief of National Security, who, alongside more than twenty heavily armed vehicles, forcefully entered the residence of the First Vice President. His bodyguards were disarmed, and an arrest warrant was delivered to him under unclear charges. Attempts are currently being made to relocate him,” Reath Muoch Tang, the acting chairperson of Machar’s foreign relations committee, wrote on Facebook.
SPLM/IO says they hold President Kiir responsible for this “reckless abrogation” of the peace agreement, calling upon the regional and international community to urgently intervene to prevent further escalation.
