South Sudan opposition says peace deal has collapsed after arrest of its leader

He said "it is unimaginable that the political leaders would allow their country to go back into a state of bloody civil war and the tragedy that would ensue,” adding that “It is vital that the leaders of the country put the interest of the people first and foremost."

The head of the U.N peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, said following reports of the detention of Machar all parties should “exercise restraint and uphold the Revitalized Peace Agreement,” which Dujarric said “would include restoring the freedom of the first vice president.”

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 Machar together in a unity government. Machar is one of the five vice presidents in the country.

Machar was “in confinement by the government” and his life was “at risk,” opposition spokesperson Pal Mai Deng said in a video address to the media Wednesday night.

Tensions have been increasing between Kiir and Machar’s parties and escalated in March when the White Army, an armed group loyal to Machar, overran an army base in Upper Nile state and attacked a U.N helicopter.

The government responded with airstrikes, warning any civilian in the area where the army group is based to vacate or “face consequences.”

More than a dozen people have died since the airstrikes 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 Revitalized Peace Agreement,” Haysom said in a statement on Wednesday night.

An opposition official described 20 heavily armed vehicles arriving at 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 chair, 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 U.S. State Department's bureau of African affairs urged Kiir to reverse the house arrest and “prevent further escalation of the situation."

The chairperson of the U.N 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 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 U.S Embassy further reduced its minimal staff due to security threats and advised Americans who are in the country to prepare to shelter should the “situation deteriorate further.” The British Embassy also said it had temporarily reduced its staff with consular services “severely limited.”

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Edith M. Lederer contributed to this story from the United Nations.