UN. calls for Machar’s release to avert war in Sudan

The United Nations on Thursday, March 27, 2025, called for caution in South Sudan over the reported arrest of First Vice President, Rick Macher.

The UN made this call through the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

UNMISS called on all parties to exercise restraint amid reports of the arrest of Machar – the longtime rival of the country’s President Salva Kiir.

UMISS chief Nicholas Haysom said the country risked losing the “hard-won gains of the past seven years.”

He said this would happen if the world’s newest nation returned to “a state of war”.

This follows reports that Machar was arrested at his residence in the capital, Juba.

UN. official, Nicholas Haysom was quoted to haave said,

“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.”

A return to fighting “will not only devastate South Sudan but also affect the entire region”, Haysom added.

According to Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Army In Opposition (SPLM/IO) party, a convoy broke into his residence to arrest him.

They reported that the convoy of 20 heavily armed vehicles “forcefully entered” the first vice president’s residence in Juba and disarmed his bodyguards on Wednesday.

The country’s defence minister and chief of national security were in the convoy that delivered an arrest warrant to the vice president, the SPLM/IO said,

“An arrest warrant was delivered to him under unclear charges,” according to a statement.

The statement  was shared on Facebook by Reath Muoch Tang, chairman of Machar’s foreign relations committee.

“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,” Tang said.

“The arrest of the First Vice President without due process undermines the rule of law and threatens the stability of the nation,” he said.

A government spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.

Earlier on Wednesday, the UN reported clashes over the past 24 hours.

The clashes were between forces loyal to President Kiir and Vice President Machar outside the capital Juba.

KIIR’S AND MACHAR’S PEACE DEAL

A power-sharing deal between Kiir and Machar has been unravelling over recent weeks.

This is amid tension as government troops loyal to the president have battled fighters of the so-called White Army, which has close ties to Machar.

In response to fighting since late February in the northeastern Upper Nile State, Kiir’s government has detained several officials from Machar’s party.

Reports say the detained officials also include the petroleum minister and the deputy head of the army.

Machar’s party also said a military base and two military training centres around Juba had been attacked by government forces since Monday.

The training centres were established to prepare Kiir’s opposition forces for integration into the unified army.

This was a key provision of the 2018 peace agreement aimed at uniting government and opposition troops.

None of the incidents have been confirmed by the Kiir-aligned army, the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF).

Although it accused Machar’s forces of aggressive manoeuvres from one of the bases on Monday.

Analysts say that an ageing Kiir, 73, has been seeking to ensure his succession and sideline Machar politically for months through cabinet reshuffles.

South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, fell into a bloody civil war soon after gaining independence in 2011.

This reportedly was as forces aligned with Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, fought those loyal to Machar, an ethnic Nuer.

The conflict killed more than 40,000 people before a 2018 peace deal saw the pair form a government of national unity.

The clashes and latest political tensions between Kiir and Machar have unsettled many in Juba.

The Norwegian and German embassies have closed.

The British and United States embassies said they were reducing to minimal staffing and have urged citizens to leave the country.

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook