Machar, wife put under house arrest in unprecedented escalation

JUBA – South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar and his wife, Angelina Teny, have been placed under house arrest, multiple sources within Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) told Sudans Post on Wednesday night, an action that threatens to unravel the fragile peace in the country.

The house arrest comes amid escalating clashes between Machar’s forces and the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) near the capital Juba, raising fears of a return to widespread violence reminiscent to violence witnessed in 2013 and 2016.

According to a high-ranking SPLM-IO official, heavily armed security forces led by minister of defence, the chief of defence forces of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), and the head of the National Security Service (NSS), arrived at Machar’s residence around 8:00 PM local time.

They disarmed Machar’s bodyguards and removed them from the compound and arrested the First Vice President along with his wife Angelina Teny, who is also the minister of interior.

Reath Muoch Tang, the SPLM-IO chairperson of the National Committee on Foreign Relations, condemned the action as a “blatant violation of the Constitution and the Revitalized Peace Agreement.”

“We strongly condemn the unconstitutional actions taken today by the Minister of Defence and the Chief of National Security, who, alongside more than twenty heavily armed vehicles, forcefully entered the residence of the First Vice President. His bodyguards were disarmed, and an arrest warrant was delivered to him under unclear charges. Attempts are currently being made to relocate him,” Tang said in a statement extended to Sudans Post.

Tang emphasized the lack of due process, stating, “This act is a blatant violation of the Constitution and the Revitalized Peace Agreement, as no legal procedures such as lifting his immunity have been followed. The arrest of the First Vice President without due process undermines the rule of law and threatens the stability of the nation.”

He held President Salva Kiir responsible, saying, “We hold President Salva Kiir responsible for this reckless abrogation of the peace agreement and call upon the regional and international community to urgently intervene to prevent further escalation.”

Another source confirmed to Sudans Post the arrival of the senior security officials, stating they presented Machar with an arrest warrant purportedly issued by the National Security Council, but without a specific signature.

“As I speak to you, I don’t personally know if he is arrested within in house, which could be a house arrest, or he will be taken to jail like others who have been arrested. They arrived about two hours now and they are still with him inside and they brought a letter which is signed not by specific person like the president but claimed to be from the National Security Council without signature of any single person,” the source said.

A separate source alleged that Machar was being pressured to either rejoin Kiir’s SPLM party or resign from his position as First Vice President, a position granted to him under the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

“They also asked him to either rejoin the SPLM and dissolve the SPLM-IO or resign from his position. This would be in return for a guarantee that he will not be arrested. But as of now, he is under house arrest. His house is surrounded, and his bodyguards have been disarmed and removed,” the source said.

The house arrest follows the recent detention of SPLA-IO Chief of Staff General Duop Lam and Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol, both allies of Machar. The government has accused them of inciting violence in Nasir, which took place between the White Army, an ethnic militia that was allied to Machar during the 2013-2018 conflict, and the army.

The escalating tensions come amid renewed fighting between Machar’s forces and the SSPDF near Juba, with residents reporting heavy gunfire on Wednesday morning. These clashes have raised concerns about a potential return to the widespread violence that plagued South Sudan in 2013 and 2016.

Machar’s detention represents a significant setback to the 2018 peace agreement, which sought to end years of civil war. Since the formation of the transitional government in 2020, disagreements over power-sharing and continued clashes have threatened fragile peace.

Under the agreement, Machar’s SPLM-IO was granted 27 percent of government positions at the national, state, and local levels. However, Kiir’s SPLM party has encroached on these positions, including the critical Ministry of Defence, which was initially assigned to the SPLM-IO.