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Machar, whose political rivalry with President Salva Kiir has in
the past exploded into civil war, said last month that the
firing of several of his allies from posts in the government
threatened the 2018 peace deal between him and Kiir that ended a
five-year civil war in which more than 400,000 people were
killed.
Deputy army chief Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, also loyal to Machar,
was detained Tuesday over the fighting in the north, while
Machar ally and Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol was arrested
Wednesday alongside his bodyguards and family. No reason was
given for the arrests.
Neither Machar nor his SPLM-IO party have commented about the
fighting, but Water Minister Pal Mai Deng, who is also the
party's spokesperson, said Lam's detention “puts the entire
peace agreement at risk.”
Western envoys last week urged leaders to de-escalate the
tension.
Ter Manyang Gatwich, Executive Director of the Center for Peace
and Advocacy, has called for the immediate release of those
detained to avert further escalation of violence and further
bloodshed from degenerating into what he called a "full-scale
war."
South Sudan is yet to fully implement the 2018 peace agreement
and elections that were scheduled for last year were postponed
by two years due to a lack of funds.
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