By Jenifer James
The First Vice President, Dr Riek Machar Teny, and Angelina Teny, the Minister of Interior, have been placed under house arrest in Juba by security forces acting on the orders of President Salva Kiir Mayardit, according to opposition officials.
The arrest happened on Wednesday night after the church leaders met with the first vice president and president to end the conflict in the country, and the two agreed not to return the country back to war.
In a press statement to the media on Thursday, Deputy Chairperson of the SPLM-IO Oyet Nathaniel Pierino stated that government forces breached Machar’s residence at 9:46 PM (CAT) on Wednesday.
‘’senior security personnel from the National Security Services, Tiger Division, and the SSPDF, acting under the directives of President Salva Kiir Mayardit, breached the residence of H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny, the First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan and the Chairman and Commander in Chief of the SPLM/SPLA-IO, and put him and his wife, Hon. Angelina Teny, the Minister of Interior of the Republic of South Sudan, under house arrest in Juba,’’
According to Oyet, the detention of Machar has raised concerns over the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), the 2018 peace deal that ended years of civil war.
‘’The arrest and detention of H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny effectively brought the Agreement to a collapse, thus putting the prospect for peace and stability in South Sudan into serious jeopardy,’’ Oyet said.
Oyet said that reported air and ground military assaults on opposition cantonment sites and training centers in Wunliet, Aswa, and Rejaf, describing them as direct violations of the 2017 Permanent Ceasefire and Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA).
Oyet urged the regional and international bodies, including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union (AU), and the United Nations (UN), to intervene and secure Machar’s immediate release.
“We call on IGAD, AU, and the UN to act swiftly to protect the peace agreement and ensure the safety of the First Vice President, Hon. Angelina Teny, and all other political detainees,” Oyet stated.
Oyet appeal to SPLM-IO members and the public to remain calm and vigilant as diplomatic efforts continue.
“We ask our supporters to stay steadfast and patient while we work towards a peaceful resolution,” he said.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, fell into a bloody civil war soon after gaining independence in 2011.
The conflict killed more than 40,000 people before a 2018 peace deal saw the pair form a government of national unity.
The clashes and latest political tensions between Kiir and Machar have unsettled many in the country.