South Sudan in chaos: Vice President Machar arrested under house arrest!

South Sudan in chaos: Vice President Machar arrested under house arrest!

South Sudan is facing a fresh political crisis after security forces stormed the home of Vice President Riek Machar on Wednesday evening and arrested him and his wife, Interior Minister Angelina Teny. These actions were strongly criticized by the SPLM-IO, Machar's party, which blamed President Salva Kiir for the actions. A spokesman for the SPLM-IO accused Kiir of not honoring agreements and failing to create peace and stability in the country due to a lack of political will. The domestic political situation has become noticeably worse in recent weeks, leading to a serious crisis that is also being observed internationally. The Small newspaper reports that four leading politicians were arbitrarily arrested on Tuesday.

The situation in the capital Juba and beyond is further complicated by an escalating conflict between Machar's supporters and government forces. In addition to surrounding Machar's residence, security forces are also fighting near the border with Ethiopia, where a Nuer militia is fighting the government. The violence has resulted in civilian targets being bombed, resulting in countless deaths. Government soldiers blame Machar's party for the unrest, while Machar claims that President Kiir wants to disempower his supporters. According to UNMISS head Nicholas Haysom, the situation risks escalating into a full-scale conflict if immediate talks do not take place.

Humanitarian crisis in South Sudan

The current crisis is also accompanied by a humanitarian emergency in South Sudan that is continuing to worsen, particularly as a result of the civil war in Sudan. So far, over 500,000 people have left the north for the south, many of them originally from South Sudan. UNHCR estimates predict that more than four million people could be displaced by the end of 2024, including two million internally displaced people. According to the reports of the Federal Agency for Civic Education Around 50 percent of the population is at acute risk of hunger and the country's infrastructure is severely damaged, making the situation even more difficult.

South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011 after decades of conflict, continues to grapple with the aftermath of its civil war and internal conflicts, largely characterized by unequal power distribution and ethnic tensions. A peace agreement from 2018 was intended, among other things, to establish power-sharing, but was hardly implemented. The demobilization and integration of former fighters is failing due to persistent mistrust between the conflict parties. Secret talks between Kiir and Machar last year yielded no positive results, and the repeated postponements of elections originally scheduled for 2024 highlight the unstable political landscape in the country.

The international community has strengthened the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan to protect the population while putting pressure on the government to improve human rights standards and not hinder humanitarian aid. Amid these complex challenges, hope remains for a political solution that could bring lasting peace to this crisis-torn region.