South Sudan’s fragile peace is once again under threat as security forces arrested Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol and several high-ranking military officials loyal to First Vice President Riek Machar. Soldiers surrounded Machar’s residence in the capital, Juba, escalating fears of renewed violence in the war-torn nation.
Deputy army chief General Gabriel Duop Lam, a key Machar ally, was taken into custody on Tuesday, while Chol was detained on Wednesday night alongside his family and bodyguards. The government has not provided any official reason for the arrests, which followed an armed offensive by a Machar-affiliated group that seized control of a military base in Upper Nile state.
Machar, who has a long-standing political rivalry with President Salva Kiir, warned last month that the dismissal of several of his allies from government posts threatened the viability of the 2018 peace agreement. The accord had ended a brutal five-year civil war that claimed more than 400,000 lives.
Water Minister Pal Mai Deng, spokesperson for Machar’s SPLM-IO party, expressed grave concern over the detentions, warning that Lam’s arrest “puts the entire peace agreement at risk.”
“This action violates the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan and cripples the Joint Defence Board, a vital institution of the Agreement responsible for the command and control of all forces. This act puts the entire agreement at risk.”
Pal Mai Deng
The heavy deployment of South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) around Machar’s home has further fueled tensions, with Deng emphasizing that such measures “erode confidence and trust among the parties.”
Meanwhile, Puok Both Baluang, another spokesman for Machar, revealed that additional senior military officials aligned with Machar had been placed under house arrest. “As of now, there’s not any reason provided to us that led to the arrest or the detention of [these] officials,” Baluang said.
However, the South Sudanese military has remained tight-lipped about the situation. Major-General Lul Ruai Koang, the army spokesperson, declined to comment on the arrests or the military presence outside Machar’s residence.
These latest developments have raised fresh concerns about South Sudan’s fragile political landscape. The country has been struggling to recover from a civil war that erupted in December 2013 after President Kiir dismissed Machar from his position. The conflict displaced over 2.5 million people and left nearly half of the 11 million population facing severe food insecurity.
The recent arrests appear linked to growing unrest in Upper Nile state, where clashes between Machar-aligned troops and government forces have intensified. The SSPDF has accused General Lam and his soldiers of collaborating with the White Army, a militia primarily composed of ethnic Nuer youth.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reported increased hostilities in Nasir County, stating that confrontations between the military and “armed youth” had escalated. The UN noted the use of “heavy weaponry which has, reportedly, resulted in deaths and injuries to civilians as well as armed personnel.”
Fears of Renewed Violence Grow
The civil war, which broke out just two years after South Sudan gained independence from Sudan, has left the nation mired in political instability and economic hardship. Hyperinflation and rising food prices, worsened by disruptions in oil exports due to ongoing conflicts in Sudan, have pushed more than 9.3 million people into humanitarian distress.
Amid mounting tensions, Ter Manyang Gatwich, executive director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy, has called for the immediate release of those arrested to prevent further violence. Gatwich warned that the situation could spiral into “full-scale war” if urgent steps are not taken to de-escalate tensions.
The postponement of elections has also contributed to growing instability, with many fearing that the recent arrests could derail the fragile peace deal. South Sudan continues to grapple with the challenge of implementing key security reforms outlined in the 2018 agreement, and the latest crisis only deepens the uncertainty surrounding the country’s future.
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