### South Sudan on Edge: VP Machar Reportedly Under House Arrest Amid Rising Tensions

South Sudan's First Vice-President Riek Machar is reportedly under house arrest, raising alarms of potential civil unrest as tensions escalate between government factions.

 

South Sudan is witnessing a dramatic shift in its political landscape as Riek Machar, the First Vice-President and longstanding rival of President Salva Kiir, has reportedly been placed under house arrest. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM/IO) confirmed that security forces, led by high-ranking officials including the defense minister, stormed Machar's residence in Juba, disarming his bodyguards and effectively limiting his movements.

According to Reath Muoch Tang, chairman of SPLM/IO’s foreign relations committee, the situation has deteriorated to what amounts to a technical house arrest, as initial attempts were made to take Machar from his home altogether. These developments follow the arrest of several senior allies of Machar, raising significant concerns about the political stability in the region.

Despite the government's silence on the matter, the United Nations has issued grave warnings regarding South Sudan's precarious situation, emphasizing that a return to civil war seems imminent. The tensions have escalated between Machar and Kiir, fueled by years of ethnic strife and violence since their 2018 peace agreement, which aimed to resolve a brutal civil war that claimed nearly 400,000 lives.

Machar's wife, Angelina Teny, who serves as the country's interior minister, has also been reported detained alongside him. The SPLM/IO criticized the actions against Machar as a violation of constitutional rights and peace agreements, describing them as efforts that undermine rule of law and threaten national stability.

The UN mission in South Sudan has warned that these events put at risk the “hard-won gains of the past seven years” and that any violations of the 2018 peace accord could have devastating effects, not just for South Sudan but for the entire region. Meanwhile, various foreign embassies, including those of the US and UK, have reduced their diplomatic presence and advised citizens to evacuate the country. As clashes reignite between forces loyal to Machar and Kiir in northern regions, the fear of a larger conflict looms heavily over the world's youngest nation.