Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has been tapped by President William Ruto as Kenya’s special envoy to South Sudan following the arrest of First Vice President and opposition leader Riek Machar and his wife Angelina Teny, who is also the country’s Interior Minister.
He is expected to depart first thing on Friday as part of efforts to avert another civil war.
News of the arrest of Riek Machar – the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM-IO) – on Wednesday was met with an immediate and resounding response from the international community as it moves to forestall another civil war.
But tensions have been building for several months and his party had prior to Wednesday, reported that Machar’s residence was surrounded by security forces loyal to President Salva Kiir.
Late on Wednesday however, according to Machar’s Press Secretary Puok Both Baluang and Deputy Party Leader Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, a convoy of 20 heavily armed vehicles forced their way into Machar’s residence led by the defence minister and chief of national security.
Machar’s bodyguards were then disarmed and an arrest warrant presented under “unclear charges,” according to his team.
While his aides and security were reportedly arrested and taken away, Machar and his wife are under house arrest. A move which the SPLM-IO says is a violation of the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.
The development puts South Sudan in a precarious position, according to the UN Mission in South Sudan which stated; “…the country’s leaders stand on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict…”
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development which facilitated the 2018 peace agreement noted; “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, which historically has been at the fore of peace negotiations in South Sudan, moved swiftly to appoint Raila Odinga as a special envoy.
President Ruto posted on social media: “Had a phone call with Pres. Salva kiir on the situation leading to the arrest and detention of 1st vice Pres. Riak Machar in South Sudan. After consultations with Pres. Museveni and PM Abiy, I’m sending a special envoy to South sudan to engage, try deescalate, and brief us back.”
The African Union Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf also stated that he too would be deploying the AU Panel of the Wise which is chaired by retired Justice Effie Owuor, Kenya’s first female State Council, Senior Magistrate, High Court Judge, and Appeals Court Judge.
