JUBA, South Sudan – The United States has urged South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir to release First Vice President Riek Machar, who is reportedly under house arrest following accusations of involvement in recent clashes in Nasir, Upper Nile State.
On Wednesday, Machar’s SPLM-IO party alleged that South Sudan’s defense minister and chief of national security “forcefully entered” Machar’s residence and served an arrest warrant.
According to a statement from SPLM-IO official Reath Muoch Tang, Machar is being held at his home with his wife and two bodyguards.
The government has accused Machar of links to the White Army militia, which has historical ties to his faction and has been involved in recent fighting with government forces.
However, SPLM-IO denies any ongoing connections with the militia.
Washington’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed concern over the situation in a post on X, calling for President Kiir to reverse the action and avoid further escalation.
“It is time for South Sudan’s leaders to demonstrate sincerity of stated commitments to peace,” the Bureau wrote.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) also called for restraint, warning that the fragile peace deal could collapse and plunge the country back into widespread conflict.
The current crisis threatens to unravel the 2018 peace agreement that ended the country’s devastating civil war, which was fought largely along ethnic lines.
Under the deal, Kiir and Machar have served in a fragile coalition government, with Machar as First Vice President and Kiir leading a government of five vice presidents.
Political analysts and UN officials have warned that growing tensions, hate speech, and recent clashes risk reigniting the conflict.
UNMISS warned that a return to widespread violence would have devastating effects not only on South Sudan but also on the broader region, which is already grappling with political instability and humanitarian crises.
Earlier this month, Kiir’s government detained several SPLM-IO officials, including the petroleum minister and the deputy head of the army, following clashes in Upper Nile State.
Fighting between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar was also reported near Juba on Wednesday.
The U.S. and the international community are pressing South Sudanese leaders to honor their commitments to peace and prevent a relapse into civil war.
With tensions rising, the situation remains precarious for the world’s youngest nation, which continues to recover from the scars of its 2013-2018 conflict that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
