Riek Machar’s party declares South Sudan peace deal null and void after his arrest

South Sudan’s Vice President Riek Machar who was arrested on March 26, 20205. (Photo: Courtesy)

By Barack Oduor
Thursday, March 27, 2025

Civil society activists, the United Nations, and the United States have called for restraint and the reversal of the action following reports of the arrest.

The political crisis in South Sudan could get worse after the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), associated with President Salva Kiir’s rival, Riek Machar, declared the collapse of the 2018 peace agreement following his arrest.

Machar, who leads SPLM-IO, has been the First Vice President of South Sudan before his controversial arrest that has sparked tension, uncertainty and fears in Africa’s youngest nation.

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Oyet Nathaniel Perieno, the deputy chairman of the SPLM-IO and First Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament, confirmed in a statement on Thursday that his boss Machar was placed under house arrest on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at 9:46 pm.

The arrest, carried out by senior security personnel from the National Security, Tiger Division, and the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces under President Kiir’s directive, also included Machar's wife, Angelina Teny, Minister of Interior, and his protocol team and close protection guards, signalling the collapse of the peace agreement.

“The arrest and detention of H.E. Dr Riek Machar Teny effectively brings the Agreement to a collapse thus the prospect for peace and stability in South Sudan has now been put into serious jeopardy,” Oyet stated.

With the government yet to comment on the development, the senior opposition official stated that the arrest ordered by President Kiir represents a breach of commitments, undermines agreements and reflects a lack of political will to achieve peace and stability in the country.

“Consequently, we would like to declare that with the arrest and detention of H.E. Dr Riek Machar Teny the R-ARCSS, 2018 has been abrogated,” he declared.

Oyet raised concerns about the escalating airstrikes and ground military operations near Juba, targeting cantonment sites and training centres in Wunliet, Aswa, and Rejaf. He urged regional and international intervention to ensure the safety and release of SPLM-IO detainees.

Civil society activists, the United Nations, and the United States have called for restraint and the reversal of the action following reports of the arrest.

The ongoing conflict has raised concerns among observers and citizens about the stability of South Sudan's fragile peace process, with fears that the country may relapse into renewed civil war.

Machar’s party said on Wednesday it was trying to locate him after the defence minister and chief of national security "forcefully entered" his residence and delivered an arrest warrant.

In a statement, SPLM-IO condemned "a blatant violation of the Constitution and the Revitaliaed Peace Agreement," which ended a 2013-2018 civil war between forces loyal to Machar on one side and to President Salva Kiir on the other.

Foreign governments have warned that civil war could break out again in South Sudan following weeks of escalating tensions that originated in fighting between government troops and a militia that has historically been close to Machar's forces.

In response to the fighting since late February in the northeastern Upper Nile State, Kiir's government has detained several officials from Machar's party, including the petroleum minister and the deputy head of the army.

Earlier on Wednesday, the United Nations reported clashes over the past 24 hours between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar outside the capital Juba.

The civil war from 2013 to 2018, which was fought largely along ethnic lines, resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths in the world's youngest nation.