South Sudan opposition says peace deal has collapsed after arrest of its leader
South Sudan's main opposition party has said a peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war has collapsed, following the arrest of its leader Riek Machar a day earlier.
The party's deputy chairman, Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, said in a statement that the agreement 'has been abrogated' and that Mr Machar's arrest shows a lack of political goodwill to achieve peace and stability.
The UN warned on Monday that the country was teetering on the edge of a renewed civil war following fighting in the north between an armed group allied to Mr Machar and government forces.
South Sudan's five-year civil war, in which 400,000 people were killed, ended in a 2018 peace agreement that brought President Salva Kiir and Mr Machar together in a unity government. Mr Machar is one of the five vice presidents in the country.
Mr Machar was 'in confinement by the government' and his life was 'at risk', opposition spokesman Pal Mai Deng said in a video address to the media on Wednesday night.
The head of the UN mission in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, said following reports of the detention of Mr Machar all parties should 'exercise restraint and uphold the Revitalised Peace Agreement'.
Tensions have been increasing between Mr Kiir and Mr Machar's parties and escalated in March when the White Army, an armed group loyal to Mr Machar, overran an army base in Upper Nile state and attacked a UN helicopter.
The government responded with air strikes, warning any civilian in the area where the army group is based to vacate or 'face consequences'.
#NewsAlert
Protection of civilians and adherence to peace agreement critical to preventing all-out war in #SouthSudan
Urgent, coordinated action is needed to protect civilians & uphold the Revitalized Peace Agreement
Read Full statement: https://t.co/qBBi5QHGvs pic.twitter.com/beLTR18V3h
— UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (@UNCHRSS) March 27, 2025
More than a dozen people have died since the air strikes started in mid-March and the UN warned of a renewed civil war if the leaders do not put the country's interests first.
'Tonight, the country's leaders stand on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict or taking the country forward towards peace, recovery and democracy in the spirit of the consensus that was reached in 2018 when they signed and committed to implementing a Revitalised Peace Agreement,' Mr Haysom said in a statement on Wednesday night.
An opposition official described 20 heavily armed vehicles arriving at Mr Machar's home where he was arrested alongside his wife.
'His bodyguards were disarmed, and an arrest warrant was delivered to him under unclear charges,' said Reath Muoch Tang, an official in the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army – In Opposition.
The African Union Commission's chairman, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said he would deploy a team to Juba 'as part of efforts to de-escalate the situation'.
In a statement on X, the US State Department's bureau of African affairs urged Mr Kiir to reverse the house arrest and 'prevent further escalation of the situation'.
The chairwoman of the UN commission on human rights in South Sudan, Yasmin Sooka, said on Thursday that 'the deliberate targeting of opposition leaders and civilians represents a reckless disregard for international law and the country's future'.
In early March, several of Mr Machar's senior allies were arrested by security forces, an action his supporters condemned as a 'grave violation' of the peace deal.
Germany and Norway have temporarily closed their respective embassies in Juba. The British Embassy said it had temporarily reduced its staff with consular services 'severely limited'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
21 minutes ago
Migrants and ICE officers contend with heat, smog and illness after detoured South Sudan flight
WASHINGTON -- Migrants placed on a deportation flight originally bound for South Sudan are now being held in a converted shipping container on a U.S. naval base in Djibouti, where the men and their guards are contending with baking hot temperatures, smoke from nearby burn pits and the looming threat of rocket attacks, the Trump administration said. Officials outlined grim conditions in court documents filed Thursday before a federal judge overseeing a lawsuit challenging Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts to swiftly remove migrants to countries they didn't come from. Authorities landed the flight at the base in Djibouti, about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) from South Sudan, more than two weeks ago after U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston found the Trump administration had violated his order by swiftly sending eight migrants from countries including Cuba and Vietnam to the east African nation. The judge said that men from other countries must have a real chance to raise fears about dangers they could face in South Sudan. The men's lawyers, though, have still not been able to talk to them, said Robyn Barnard, senior director of refugee advocacy at Human Rights First, whose stated mission is to ensure the United States is a global leader on human rights. Barnard spoke Friday at a hearing of Democratic members of Congress and said some family members of the men had been able to talk to them Thursday. The migrants have been previously convicted of serious crimes in the U.S., and President Donald Trump's administration has said that it was unable to return them quickly to their home countries. The Justice Department has also appealed to the Supreme Court to immediately intervene and allow swift deportations to third countries to resume. The case comes amid a sweeping immigration crackdown by the Republican administration, which has pledged to deport millions of people who are living in the United States illegally. The legal fight became another flashpoint as the administration rails against judges whose rulings have slowed the president's policies. The Trump administration said the converted conference room in the shipping container is the only viable place to house the men on the base in Djibouti, where outdoor daily temperatures rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), according to the declaration from an ICE official. Nearby burn pits are used to dispose of trash and human waste, and the smog cloud makes it hard to breathe, sickening both ICE officers guarding the men and the detainees, the documents state. They don't have access to all the medication they need to protect against infection, and the ICE officers were unable to complete anti-malarial treatment before landing, an ICE official said. 'It is unknown how long the medical supply will last,' Mellissa B. Harper, acting executive deputy associate director of enforcement and removal operations, said in the declaration. The group also lacks protective gear in case of a rocket attack from terrorist groups in Yemen, a risk outlined by the Department of Defense, the documents state. ___
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gaza aid group halts distribution to civilians, UN to vote on ceasefire demand
The GHF said it asked the IDF to "guide foot traffic in a way that minimizes confusion or escalation risks" near military perimeters; develop clearer guidance for civilians. The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will not give out any aid on Wednesday as it presses Israel to boost civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its distribution sites, a day after dozens of Palestinians seeking aid were killed. The GHF said it has asked the Israeli military to "guide foot traffic in a way that minimizes confusion or escalation risks" near military perimeters; develop clearer guidance for civilians; and enhance training to support civilian safety. "Our top priority remains ensuring the safety and dignity of civilians receiving aid," said a GHF spokesperson. An Israeli military spokesperson warned civilians against moving in areas leading to GHF sites on Wednesday, deeming them "combat zones." The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it opened fire on a group of people it viewed as a threat near a GHF food aid distribution site. The International Committee of the Red Cross said at least 27 people were killed and dozens injured. The GHF said the incident was "well beyond" its site. Palestinians who collected food GHF boxes on Tuesday described scenes of pandemonium, with no-one overseeing the handover of supplies or checking IDs, as crowds jostled for aid. The UN Security Council is also set to vote on Wednesday on a demand for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian terrorists Hamas and humanitarian access across Gaza, where aid has trickled amid chaos and bloodshed after Israel lifted an 11-week blockade on the enclave where famine looms. "It is unacceptable. Civilians are risking – and in several instances losing – their lives just trying to get food," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday, adding that the aid distribution model backed by the US and Israel was "all a recipe for disaster, which is exactly what is going on." That model is run by the newly created GHF, which started operations in the enclave a week ago and said on Tuesday that it has given out more than seven million meals from three so-called secure distribution sites. GHF Interim Executive Director John Acree urged humanitarians in Gaza: "Work with us and we will get your aid delivered to those who are depending on it." The UN and other aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say it is not neutral and the distribution model militarizes aid. GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get aid to the distribution sites. It is the latest in a string of efforts to get more aid into the enclave, where experts say the entire population of some 2.1 million people is at risk of famine. Jordan last year spearheaded humanitarian air drops, while the US briefly installed a floating aid pier, but it was beset by challenges. The UN has long-blamed Israel and lawlessness in the enclave for hindering the delivery of aid into Gaza and its distribution throughout the war zone. Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies. Israel said on Tuesday that three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in northern Gaza. Gaza health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in northern and southern Gaza. The 10 elected members of the UN Security Council have asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties." The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of aid and its safe and unhindered distribution, including by the UN, throughout Gaza. "The time to act has already passed," Slovenia's UN Ambassador Samuel Zbogar told Reuters. "It is our historical responsibility not to remain silent." As US President Donald Trump's administration tries to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, it was not immediately clear if Washington would veto the draft text. A spokesperson for the US mission to the UN said: "We cannot preview our actions currently under consideration." A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, Britain or France - to pass.
American Military News
2 hours ago
- American Military News
US military cutting 7 of 8 military bases in Syria, top Trump official says
U.S. Special Envoy Thomas Barrack indicated on Monday that the U.S. military is planning to reduce its presence in Syria from eight bases to one base and that President Donald Trump's administration plans to significantly change its policy with the country. According to Reuters, Barrack was appointed as the special envoy to Syria last month after Trump removed U.S. sanctions against Syria. Following the removal of Syria's former President Bashar al-Assad from power in December, the United States and other countries throughout the world are engaging with the new government under transitional Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, according to the outlet. Reuters reported that the U.S. military currently has roughly 2,000 troops deployed in Syria, with the majority of the U.S. troops located in the northeastern region of the country. The outlet noted that the U.S. military forces in Syria remain deployed as part of an effort to prevent the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) from retaking the land that the terrorist organization captured in Syria and Iraq in 2014. READ MORE: US military urges African allies to increase 'burden sharing' According to Reuters, when asked on Monday about the Trump administration's policy plans with regard to Syria and whether the U.S. military is considering a withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, Barrack told Turkish broadcaster NTV, 'What I can assure you is that our current Syria policy will not be close to the Syria policy of the last 100 years, because none of these have worked.' During Monday's interview, Barrack explained that the Trump administration's change in policy with regard to Syria includes a reduction of U.S. military bases in the country, according to an interview transcript obtained by Reuters. Barrack indicated that the United States is planning to reduce its presence from eight bases in Syria to one base. Reuters reported that two security sources previously told Reuters in April that the U.S. military had relocated vehicles and equipment from the Deir el-Zor in eastern Syria to Hasakah in northeastern Syria. One of the anonymous security sources told Reuters that the U.S. military's plan to consolidate resources in the Hasakah region of Syria included removing U.S. troops deployed in the Deir el-Zor region. According to Reuters, an anonymous U.S. State Department official also claimed that the U.S. military's presence in Syria would be reduced 'if and when appropriate' based on various conditions.
