African Union (AU) mediators arrived in South Sudan’s capital, Juba to defuse tensions and prevent a return to civil war following the detention of First Vice President Riek Machar last week.
President Salva Kiir’s government accused Machar, a former rebel leader and longtime rival, of attempting to incite a new rebellion. His house arrest came after weeks of clashes in Upper Nile state between the military and the White Army militia. While Machar’s forces were allied with the group during the 2013-2018 civil war, they deny any current links.
The AU delegation, which includes former Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye and former Kenyan judge Effie Owuor, arrived as part of the bloc’s “Council of the Wise” initiative. Machar’s SPLM-IO party welcomed their visit, emphasizing the need for dialogue to de-escalate tensions.
On Tuesday, the AU’s Peace and Security Council called for Machar’s “immediate and unconditional release,” warning that recent developments threaten the fragile 2018 peace deal that ended South Sudan’s five-year war, which killed hundreds of thousands.
Regional mediation efforts are also underway. Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga visited Juba on Monday to broker talks on behalf of the East African regional bloc IGAD. While Odinga met with Kiir, he was denied access to Machar.
Analysts suggest Kiir, 73, is consolidating power amid internal party divisions, while the war in neighboring Sudan has exacerbated insecurity by increasing the flow of weapons into South Sudan.
The 2013-2018 conflict was largely fought along ethnic lines, with Kiir’s Dinka-dominated forces battling Machar’s Nuer-aligned troops. The recent crisis raises fears of renewed violence in the world’s youngest nation