Kenyan President William Ruto has appointed former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as a special envoy to South Sudan following the house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar, amid fears of renewed conflict.
Odinga is expected to travel to South Sudan on Friday as part of regional efforts to defuse tensions.
Machar, leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), was detained in his residence on Wednesday, sparking international concern over a potential return to civil war. His party said security forces loyal to President Salva Kiir surrounded his residence before his arrest.
According to Machar’s press secretary, Puok Both Baluang, and deputy party leader Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, a convoy of armed vehicles, led by South Sudan’s defense minister and national security chief, forced entry into Machar’s home. His bodyguards were disarmed, and an arrest warrant was presented under what his team called “unclear charges.”
Machar remains under house arrest, while aides and security personnel were reportedly detained. The SPLM-IO condemned the move as a violation of the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan warned the country’s leaders were “on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict.” The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which mediated the 2018 deal, said the crisis risked derailing the peace process and triggering “full-scale war.”
The U.S. Bureau of African Affairs urged Kiir to “reverse this action.”
Kenya, a key player in past South Sudan peace talks, moved swiftly to dispatch Odinga. Ruto said on social media he had consulted with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed before making the decision.
The African Union said it would deploy its Panel of the Wise, chaired by retired Kenyan judge Effie Owuor, to support mediation efforts.