South Sudan’s government forces have taken into custody the nation’s petroleum minister and other high-ranking military officials allied with First Vice President Riek Machar. This move came as soldiers surrounded Machar’s home in the capital city of Juba, signifying a fresh threat to the fragile 2018 peace agreement aimed at ending civil unrest.
The petroleum minister, Puot Kang Chol, and several of his bodyguards and family members were detained on Wednesday. A day earlier, Deputy army chief General Gabriel Duop Lam – known for his loyalty to Machar – was also arrested. The reasons behind these detentions remain unclear.
Tensions escalated after an armed group, aligned with Machar, overpowered an army base in the northern Upper Nile state. Machar has previously warned that dismissals from government positions of his allies could jeopardize the 2018 peace agreement. This agreement had successfully concluded a five-year civil war that claimed over 400,000 lives and displaced over 2.5 million people, leaving South Sudan, a nation of approximately 11 million, in dire straits.
Water Minister Pal Mai Deng, who also represents Machar’s SPLM-IO party, argued that the arrests are in violation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. He alerts that these actions could undermine the Joint Defence Board, an essential component of the agreement responsible for the oversight of military forces.
Furthermore, Machar’s spokesperson, Puok Both Baluang, revealed that other higher-ups in the military, loyal to Machar, are under house arrest without a given reason. Meanwhile, Major-General Lul Ruai Koang, the spokesperson for the South Sudanese army, declined to comment.
The tensions escalated following instability in the Upper Nile region. The army has accused General Lam and his unit of collaborating with the White Army rebels, a group primarily from the Nuer ethnic community.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan reported increased fighting in Nasir County involving the use of heavy weaponry, resulting in civilian casualties and injuries, as well as loss amongst the armed combatants.
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but continues to grapple with poverty and ongoing conflict. Gatweich Ter Manyang, executive director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy, urges for the immediate release of the detained officials to prevent further violence and potential outburst of a full-blown war.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/5/south-sudan-arrests-key-machar-allies-as-army-surrounds-his-house?traffic_source=rss
