South Sudan's opposition said on Thursday the arrest overnight of First Vice President Riek Machar, long-time rival to President Salva Kiir, had invalidated their 2018 peace deal and risked plunging the country back into war.
A convoy of 20 heavily armed vehicles entered Machar's residence in the capital, Juba, late on Wednesday and arrested him, according to a statement issued by a member of his party -- a dramatic escalation of a conflict that has been building for weeks in the world's youngest country.
A power-sharing deal between Kiir and Machar has been gradually unravelling, threatening a return of the civil war that killed around 400,000 people between 2013 and 2018. "With the arrest and detention of Dr Riek Machar Teny, the R-ARCSS 2018 has been abrogated," said Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, deputy chairman of Machar's party, using a technical term for the peace deal.
"The prospect for peace and stability in South Sudan has now been put into serious jeopardy," he added.
There was widespread international condemnation, including from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), warning that the reported arrest left the country "on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict".
Juba was calm early on Thursday, with businesses open and people on the streets, a journalist said.
But there was a heavy military presence around Machar's home, which is located just metres from the president's home, including a tank.
The population is deeply worried about what might come next, civil society leader Edmund Yakani said. "The public are in a panic," he said.
"There is a high chance of full-scale war but it will be more deadly and more violent because of (the need) for revenge," he added.
The US State Department on Thursday called on Kiir to "reverse this action and prevent further escalation" in a post on X.
And the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a bloc of East African countries, called on the parties to exercise "maximum restraint, prioritise dialogue and resolve differences through inclusive and peaceful means".
South Sudan -- which declared independence from Sudan in 2011 -- has remained plagued by poverty and insecurity since the peace deal in 2018.
Analysts say an ageing Kiir, 73, has been seeking to ensure his succession and sideline Machar politically for months through cabinet reshuffles.
More than 20 of Machar's political and military allies in the unity government and army have also been arrested since February, many held incommunicado.
Machar's party says three of its military bases around Juba have been attacked by government forces since Monday.
The training centres were established to prepare opposition forces for integration into the unified army -- a key provision of the 2018 peace agreement aimed at uniting government and opposition troops.
None of the incidents have been confirmed by the Kiir-aligned army, the South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF), although it accused Machar's forces of aggressive manoeuvres from one of the bases on Monday.
Prior to Machar's arrest, Kiir said he reaffirmed his "unwavering commitment to restoring peace" following a meeting with church leaders.
It follows weeks of violent clashes, particularly in Nasir County, where government forces loyal to the president have battled the so-called White Army, a militia with ties to Machar. - AFP
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