Overview

• Riek Machar, South Sudan's Vice President, was arrested on March 26, 2025, and remains under house arrest in Juba.
• President Salva Kiir ordered the arrest, which was carried out by a heavily armed convoy led by top security officials.
• The SPLM-IO has declared that Machar's detention nullifies the 2018 peace agreement, which ended a devastating civil war.
• Machar's security detail, including Sudanese intelligence officers, was disarmed and removed during the operation.
• The arrest follows weeks of rising tensions marked by armed clashes and political dismissals, exacerbating fears of renewed violence.