South Sudan’s military has arrested the deputy head of the armed forces and surrounded the home of Vice-President Riek Machar, raising concerns about the stability of the country’s delicate peace agreement, Machar’s spokesperson said late Tuesday.
General Gabriel Duop Lam, a key ally of Machar, was detained following days of clashes in Upper Nile state. The South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), which backs President Salva Kiir, accused Duop Lam and his forces of collaborating with rebels in the region, many of whom belong to the Nuer ethnic group, like Machar.
Machar’s spokesperson, Pal Mai Deng, condemned the arrest, saying it violates the 2018 power-sharing agreement that ended South Sudan’s devastating five-year civil war.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan recently reported an escalation of violence in Upper Nile state, with clashes between the army and armed youth in Nassir, involving heavy weaponry and resulting in civilian and military casualties.
The 2018 peace deal was meant to end a civil war driven by the rivalry between Kiir and Machar, which claimed 400,000 lives. However, tensions have persisted, and violence remains widespread in the young nation, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
