JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN — Amid escalating political tensions in South Sudan, President William Ruto of Kenya has appointed former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as a special envoy to Juba, following the house arrest of First Vice President and opposition leader Riek Machar and his wife, Angelina Teny, the country’s Interior Minister.
Ruto’s decision, announced after consultations with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, aims to de-escalate the volatile situation that threatens to plunge South Sudan back into civil war.
“I had a phone call with President Salva Kiir on the situation leading to the arrest and detention of 1st Vice President Riek Machar in South Sudan,” Ruto stated. “After consultations with President Museveni and PM Abiy, I’m sending a special envoy to South Sudan to engage, try de-escalate, and brief us back.”
The move comes as Machar’s party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM/IO), reported that he was placed under house arrest on Wednesday.
According to Machar’s Press Secretary Puok Both Baluang and Deputy Party Leader Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, an armed convoy, led by senior security officials including the defense minister and chief of national security, forcibly entered Machar’s residence in Juba, disarmed his bodyguards, and presented an arrest warrant under “unclear charges.”
“Technically, Dr. Machar is under house arrest, but the security officials initially tried to take him away,” said Reath Muoch Tang, Chairman of the party’s foreign relations committee.
The arrest has drawn immediate and strong reactions from the international community. The UN Mission in South Sudan warned that the country’s leaders “stand on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict.”
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which facilitated the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), echoed these concerns, noting, “The current trajectory, if unchecked, could lead to a collapse of the transitional process and a relapse into full-scale war, with devastating consequences for the people of South Sudan and the region at large.”
The US Bureau of African Affairs called on President Kiir to “reverse this action.”
Kenya, historically a key player in South Sudan’s peace negotiations, swiftly appointed Raila Odinga as its special envoy to Juba, with his departure scheduled for Friday.
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Kenya had earlier expressed concern over reports of Machar’s detention. In a statement, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi urged all parties to prioritize peace and adhere to the R-ARCSS.
“The Kenyan government calls on all parties in South Sudan to prioritize peace in the country by giving room to the ongoing peace agreements under the auspices of IGAD’s Revitalized Agreement,” Mudavadi stated. He also called for restraint and a cessation of hostilities, urging South Sudanese leaders to uphold the agreement for the benefit of the nation’s citizens.
The African Union Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf also announced the deployment of the AU Panel of the Wise, chaired by retired Justice Effie Owuor, to aid in de-escalation.
Machar and Kiir’s relationship has remained strained since their 2018 agreement to end a five-year civil war, which claimed nearly 400,000 lives. Ethnic tensions and sporadic violence have continued to destabilize the region.
