---
title: "US urges South Sudan president to release VP Machar from reported house arrest"
description: "March 27 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday called on South Sudan President Salva Kiir to release his rival First Vice President Riek Machar who his party says is under house arrest, as the United Nations warned the country was on the brink of civil war."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Riek Machar"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-27-us-urges-south-sudan-president-to-release-vp-machar-from-reported-house-arrest/"
published: "2025-03-27T12:44:59"
updated: "2025-03-27T12:45:00"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 414
---

# US urges South Sudan president to release VP Machar from reported house arrest

> March 27 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday called on South Sudan President Salva Kiir to release his rival First Vice President Riek Machar who his party says is under house arrest, as the United Nations warned the country was on the brink of civil war.

By Reuters · Published 27 March 2025, 14:44 SAST · Updated 27 March 2025, 14:45 SAST

## Key points
- In a dramatic twist worthy of a soap opera, South Sudan's First Vice President Machar finds himself under house arrest as tensions rise, with the military on his doorstep and whispers of a political power play that could plunge the nation back into chaos.
- South Sudan's First Vice President Riek Machar is reportedly under house arrest, accused of supporting the White Army militia amid recent clashes.
- The U.S. has urged President Kiir to reverse Machar's arrest and prevent further escalation, highlighting concerns over peace commitments.
- Heavy military presence around Machar's residence in Juba has led to increased tension and a noticeable decline in local activity.
- The UN warns that ongoing violence and ethnic tensions could lead South Sudan back into widespread conflict, threatening regional stability.

## Content

Machar's SPLM-IO party said on Wednesday that the defence minister and chief of national security "forcefully entered" Machar's residence and delivered an arrest warrant.

Machar was being held with his wife at his home, accused of supporting the White Army militia which clashed with the military in Nasir, Upper Nile State, this month, Reath Muoch Tang, a senior SPLM-IO official said in a statement.

Under a peace deal which ended a 2013-2018 civil war between forces loyal to Machar on one side and Kiir on the other, the two men have been serving in a fragile coalition government.

"We are concerned by reports South Sudan's First Vice President Machar is under house arrest," Washington's Bureau of African Affairs wrote on X.

"We urge President Kiir to reverse this action & prevent further escalation of the situation."

South Sudan's army and government spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Machar.

In the capital, Juba, the army was heavily deployed near Machar's house, some shops were closed and there was less traffic than normal on Thursday morning, a Reuters journalist said.

The United Nations has warned that recent violence in Nasir involving the White Army, a militia with historical ties to Machar, and a rise in hate speech could reignite along ethnic lines the civil war.

Machar's SPLM-IO party denies ongoing links with the White Army.

"It is time for South Sudan's leaders to demonstrate sincerity of stated commitments to peace," Washington's Bureau of African Affairs wrote on X.

Political analysts say Kiir has been attempting to shore up his position by [rounding up](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N3PO0EX&linkedFromStory=true) some of Machar's most senior allies, inviting Uganda's army to [secure the capital](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3PU0E1&linkedFromStory=true) and naming adviser [Benjamin Bol Mel](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N3P20JC&linkedFromStory=true) as second vice president.

They say Kiir, 73, is preparing Bol Mel, a businessman designated on the United States' sanctions list for his links to construction firms accused of money-laundering, to succeed him.

The UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) called for restraint on Thursday, saying the country stood on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict.

"This will not only devastate South Sudan but also affect the entire region," UNMISS said in a statement.

The five-year civil war, which was fought largely along ethnic lines, resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths in the world's youngest nation.

On Wednesday, the UN reported fighting between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar close to Juba.

(Reporting by Nairobi Newsroom; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Michael Perry and Alison Williams)