South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Jenifer James
The First Vice President, Dr Riek Machar Teny, and his wife Angelina Teny, the Minister of Interior, have been placed under house arrest in Juba by security forces acting on the orders of President Salva Kiir Mayardit, according to opposition officials.
The arrests took place on Wednesday at 9:46 p.m after church leaders had met with the First Vice President and President Kiir to resolve the on-going tensions that erupted following clashes in Nasir, Upper Nile State between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the White Army militia on March 4, 2025.
Machar’s party issued a statement on Thursday, saying that his house in Amarat suburb was breached by security personnel from the National Security Services, Tiger Division, and the SSPDF, acting on the directives of President Kiir.
“The arrest and detention of H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny effectively brings the Agreement to a collapse, thus putting the prospect for peace and stability in South Sudan into serious jeopardy,” said Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, the Deputy Chairman of the SPLM-IO in a statement.
Pierino urged the regional and international bodies, including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union (AU), and the United Nations (UN), to intervene and secure Machar’s immediate release.
Pierino said Machar’s arrest demonstrates Kiir’s deceitfulness and his lack of political will to bring peace and stability in the country.
Clashes intensified since Monday between the SSPDF and Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In opposition on the outskirts of Juba, and SPLM-IO has condemned the clashes.
“We would like to also inform the public about the ongoing air and ground military attacks on cantonment sites and training centers of Wunliet,Aswa and Rejaf training center respectively, which constitute a serious violation and breakdown of the permanent ceasefire and the 2017 cessation of hostilities agreement,” said Pierino.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS, Nicholas Haysom in a statement on Wednesday called on all parties to exercise restraint and uphold the revitalized peace agreement.
He warned that a relapse into war will not only devastate South Sudan but the entire region.
“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,” said Haysom.
Tensions erupted between the SPLA-IO and the SSPDF following an attack on March 4, by the White Army on the SSPDF garrison in Nasir.
The government accuses the SPLA-IO of having links to the White Army which overran the garrison, but the SPLM/A-IO denies. On March 7, the White Army killed 27 SSPDF soldiers and a general who were being evacuated by the United Nations in Nasir. This incident led to the arrests of several high-ranking SPLM/A-IO officials in Juba.
