General’s Arrest Violates South Sudan Peace Deal, Opposition Claims

• Mar 7, 2025

Opposition Condemns Arrest as a Threat to Fragile Peace Agreement

The arrest of a high-ranking opposition general in South Sudan is a serious breach of the 2018 peace agreement that ended the country’s brutal five-year civil war, an opposition spokesperson has said.

General Gabriel Duop Lam, a senior figure in the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), was taken into custody earlier this week along with other high-ranking officials aligned with Vice President Riek Machar. Their detention has heightened tensions in the country, with concerns that the fragile peace deal is at risk of unraveling.

On Thursday, Machar’s spokesperson, Puok Both Baluang, stated that the SPLM-IO was unaware of the detainees’ whereabouts and urged South Sudan’s leadership to uphold the peace agreement.

"We are working to prevent escalation, but we need our peace partners to show political will and ensure this country does not return to war," Baluang told the BBC.

Government Defends Arrests Amid Rising Tensions

President Salva Kiir has repeatedly reassured the public that South Sudan will not return to conflict. However, government spokesperson Michael Makuei defended the arrests, stating on Wednesday that the opposition figures had violated the law.

South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence from Sudan in 2011. However, in 2013, a devastating civil war broke out after President Kiir accused Machar of attempting a coup. The conflict, which lasted five years, claimed 400,000 lives and displaced 2.5 million people before a peace deal was signed in 2018.

Despite the agreement, tensions between government forces and opposition factions remain high. Gen Lam, who oversees the SPLM-IO’s military wing, has yet to integrate his forces into the national army. His arrest on Tuesday came alongside that of Oil Minister Puot Kang Chol, who was taken by security forces in the middle of the night.

In a further sign of escalating tensions, Machar’s residence in Juba was surrounded by government troops overnight before they were later withdrawn. Senior military officials aligned with Machar have also been placed under house arrest.

Renewed Fighting Sparks Fears of Conflict Resurgence

The arrests coincide with reports that the White Army militia, a group that fought alongside Machar’s forces during the civil war, has seized a key town in Upper Nile state near the Ethiopian border following clashes with government troops. Some factions within the national army, loyal to Kiir, have accused Machar’s allies of supporting the rebels.

Machar’s spokesperson insisted that the renewed violence could have been avoided if the national army had adhered to the peace agreement. The United Nations and the African Union have expressed concern, warning that the conflict in Upper Nile could escalate further.

Ter Manyang, director of the Juba-based Center for Peace and Advocacy, told Reuters that the recent fighting threatens to derail the peace process.

"If the top leadership does not take immediate action, the country risks sliding back into war," he warned.

South Sudan has never held an election, with its first-ever vote now scheduled for 2026 after multiple delays. However, the latest developments raise questions about whether the country’s leaders can maintain stability long enough to see the elections through.