South Sudan: fears of new civil war as vice president arrested on ‘unclear charges’

Tensions in South Sudan have further escalated following the arrest of first vice president Riek Machar, raising fears of a return to civil war.

A convoy of heavily armed vehicles reportedly entered Machar’s residence in Juba on Wednesday (26 March), where he was detained without clear charges, violating constitutional procedures. The arrest, which comes after weeks of increasing violence between forces loyal to Machar and president Salva Kiir, risks undoing the hard-won peace achieved by the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has warned that this move could ignite widespread conflict, devastating the country and destabilizing the region. UNMISS chief Nicholas Haysom urged both parties to exercise restraint, emphasizing that a renewed war would undo the “hard-won gains of the past seven years”.

The power-sharing deal between Kiir and Machar has been unraveling in recent months, with clashes in Upper Nile State and political arrests. More than 20 of Machar’s allies have been detained, heightening fears of further unrest. The United States, United Kingdom, and other European nations have reduced diplomatic staff in Juba, urging their citizens to evacuate due to safety concerns. Analysts warn that failure to resolve these tensions could lead to decentralized violence, making the conflict harder to control. They suggest these tensions could be seen against the backdrop of an aging, 73-year-old Kiir, who has been seeking to ensure his succession and sideline his longtime rival Machar politically for months through cabinet reshuffles. South Sudan’s fragile peace is now at a critical juncture, with international calls for dialogue to prevent a devastating relapse into war.