Army Surrounds South Sudan Vice President Machar's Home as His Allies are Arrested

Juba: Army in South Sudan surrounded Vice President Riek Machar's home in the capital on Wednesday and several of his allies were arrested after an armed group allied to him overrun an army base in the country's north.

Machar, whose rivalry with President Salva Kiir sparked civil war, warned last month that the dismissal of his allies could jeopardize the 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year conflict, claiming over 400,000 lives.

Machar's Allies Getting Arrested

Deputy army chief Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, a supporter of Machar, was detained on Tuesday in connection with the fighting in the north. On Wednesday, Machar ally and Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol was arrested along with his bodyguards and family. No explanation has been provided for their arrests.

While Machar and his SPLM-IO party have yet to comment on the violence, Water Minister Pal Mai Deng, also the party’s spokesperson, stated that Lam's detention “puts the entire peace agreement at risk.”

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Western envoys last week urged leaders to de-escalate the tension.

Ter Manyang Gatwich, Executive Director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy, has called for the immediate release of those detained to avert further escalation of violence and further bloodshed from degenerating into what he called a "full-scale war."

South Sudan is yet to fully implement the 2018 peace agreement and elections that were scheduled for last year were postponed by two years due to a lack of funds.

(with AP inputs)