NAIROBI, March 12 (Reuters) – East African nations are urging South Sudan’s government to release officials detained in recent arrests that have escalated tensions between political rivals, raising fears of a renewed conflict.
The call, made by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), comes after South Sudan’s government arrested several key allies of First Vice President Riek Machar, including a deputy military chief and two ministers. These arrests, coupled with violent clashes in northern South Sudan, threaten to derail the fragile peace established by a 2018 agreement that ended a five-year civil war between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and Machar.
Despite the formal end of hostilities in 2018, relations between Kiir and Machar remain deeply strained, and the recent developments are seen as jeopardizing the peace deal that has held, albeit tenuously, since the war killed nearly 400,000 people.
The IGAD, a bloc of eight East African nations, convened a virtual summit on Wednesday to address the escalating crisis. In a report presented by IGAD’s executive secretary, Workneh Gebeyehu, the bloc called on South Sudan’s government to immediately release the detained officials unless credible legal evidence warranted a transparent, due-process trial. The report also urged a return to “standard security arrangements” to stabilize the situation.
The arrests followed accusations that Machar’s forces were involved in attacks on a military garrison near Nasir, a strategic northern town, on March 4. South Sudanese authorities claim that forces loyal to Machar have allied with the White Army militia, a group largely made up of Machar’s Nuer ethnic group. However, Machar’s party has vehemently denied the allegations.
While some detainees have been released, including one minister and eight other lower-ranking officials, at least 20 remain in custody. The government has also deployed troops around Machar’s residence, although his spokesperson confirmed that Machar has still been able to access his office. In another escalation, Machar’s spokesperson confirmed that a lawmaker allied with the vice president was arrested while en route to parliament on Wednesday.
The arrest of these key figures and the military clashes come at a time of already fragile peace in the country, heightening concerns over the potential for further violence.
Source: Reuters
