South Sudan’s opposition has condemned the arrest of several key political figures, including four officials from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), just days after one of its army bases was bombed. The incident has raised concerns about a possible return to civil war in the world’s youngest nation.
The clashes between forces allied to President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival, First Vice President Riek Machar, have threatened the fragile power-sharing agreement reached in 2018. Regional partners, including Uganda, have been intervening in South Sudan, with Ugandan troops deployed to Juba this month.
Uganda’s involvement has been condemned by Machar’s party, which claims it is a breach of a United Nations arms embargo. The SPLM-IO said its military cantonment was attacked on Monday, and warned that Kiir’s forces were “scaling up their movements” in the area.
Analysts say Kiir has been taking steps to sideline Machar, promoting new members to the cabinet without consultation as he prepares his succession. The opposition party claims that Kiir is orchestrating a broader crackdown on its members, with at least 22 officials already detained since February.
The UN envoy described South Sudan as “teetering on the edge of a relapse into civil war”. The United States State Department also urged direct dialogue between Kiir and Machar to curb escalating violence in the country.
Source: https://www.newarab.com/news/south-sudan-opposition-decries-arrests-un-warns-civil-war