South Sudan vice president arrested, fearing escalation

South Sudan’s first vice president, Riek Machar, was arrested in Juba, his party’s foreign relations committee chairman says in a statement.

Machar’s detention raises fears that the situation in the country could again escalate into a civil war.

The United Nations (UN) calls for all sides to “exercise restraint.”

Machar, a long-time rival to president Salva Kiir, was arrested at his compound in an arrest involving “20 heavily armed vehicles,” Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition party says in a statement.

“We strongly condemn the unconstitutional actions taken today by the minister of defense and the chief of national security,” says the statement, also labelling the charges against Machar as “unclear.”

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (Unmiss) says the reported arrest has left the country on the brink of war.

“Tonight, the country’s leaders stand on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict or taking the country forward towards peace, recovery and democracy,” says Unmiss head Nicholas Haysom, who also called on all parties to “exercise restraint.”

Clashes between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar took place over the past 24 hours, the UN reports.

Foreign governments have warned of a renewed outbreak of the civil war in South Sudan after weeks of tensions between government forces and a militia that has historically been close to Machar’s forces, with Norway and Germany temporarily closing their embassies due to the security situation.

According to the UN, some 50 000 people have been displaced due to the conflict in Upper Nile since last month.

• DW