Rising Violence and Political Tensions Threaten South Sudan’s Fragile Peace Process

The escalating violence and political tensions in South Sudan are putting the country’s fragile peace process at risk, as stated on Saturday by a human rights body in the country. This came shortly after the arrest of several officials affiliated with the country’s vice president.
Earlier this month, President Salva Kiir’s security forces detained two ministers and several senior military figures who were loyal to Riek Machar. These arrests have raised concerns about the stability of the 2018 peace agreement, which ended a five-year civil war between Kiir’s and Machar’s forces, a conflict that resulted in nearly 400,000 deaths.
Yasmin Sooka, U.N. human rights chair in Sudan,  expressed concern, stating, “We are witnessing a troubling setback that could reverse years of hard-earned progress. Instead of exacerbating division and conflict, leaders must urgently redirect their focus on the peace process, protect the human rights of South Sudanese citizens, and ensure a peaceful transition to democracy.”
These arrests followed heavy fighting in recent weeks in the strategically important northern town of Nasir, where national forces clashed with the White Army militia, a loosely structured group mainly from the Nuer ethnic group, Machar’s group.
Government spokesperson Michael Makuei explained that the arrests were due to the Machar-affiliated officials being in “conflict with the law.” He also accused Machar’s supporters of working with the White Army and attacking a military base near Nasir on March 4. Machar’s party has rejected these allegations.
On Saturday, the National Security Services intelligence agency revealed it had detained several people with “verified links” to the military conflict in Nasir and a nearby town. The agency did not disclose the total number of detainees or their identities.