The authorities in South Sudan have detained the petroleum minister and several high-ranking military officials aligned with First Vice President Riek Machar as troops surrounded his residence in the capital, Juba.
On Tuesday, Deputy Army Chief General Gabriel Duop Lam, a supporter of Machar, was taken into custody. The Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol was arrested on Wednesday along with his bodyguards and family members.
The reasons for the arrests were not disclosed, but they followed an attack by an armed group linked to Machar on an army base in the country’s Upper Nile state.
Machar, who has a history of political conflict with President Salva Kiir that led to a civil war, warned last month that the removal of several of his allies from government positions could jeopardize a peace deal reached with Kiir in 2018.
The peace agreement ended a five-year civil war that claimed the lives of over 400,000 people. Pal Mai Deng, the Water Minister and spokesman for Machar’s SPLM-IO party, expressed concern over Lam’s arrest, stating that it jeopardizes the entire peace agreement.
The heavy deployment of South Sudan army troops around Machar’s residence also raised concerns about the fragile peace. Machar’s spokesman Puok Both Baluang revealed that other senior military officials loyal to Machar had been placed under house arrest.
The South Sudan army spokesperson, Major-General Lul Ruai Koang, declined to comment on the arrests and the troops surrounding Machar’s residence.
The civil war erupted in 2013 after Kiir dismissed Machar, displacing more than 2.5 million people and causing widespread food shortages in the nation.
Tensions have escalated due to unrest in Upper Nile, with the SSPDF accusing Lam and his forces of collaborating with the White Army rebels in the region, who belong to the same Nuer ethnic group.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan reported increased clashes between the army and armed youth in Nasir County, leading to casualties among civilians and armed personnel.
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan just two years before the civil war broke out. The country continues to face poverty and violence.
Ter Manyang Gatwich, executive director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy, called for the immediate release of the detainees to prevent further violence and avoid a full-scale war.
