African Union mediators arrived in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, on Wednesday to engage in discussions aimed at preventing a potential new civil war, following the house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar last week.
The government of President Salva Kiir has accused Machar, a long-standing adversary who commanded rebel forces during the 2013-2018 conflict that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands, of attempting to incite a new uprising.
Machar’s arrest occurred last Wednesday after weeks of clashes in the northern Upper Nile state between the military and the White Army militia. Although Machar’s forces were allied with the White Army during the previous civil war, they deny any current affiliations.
The AU delegation, which included the “Council of the Wise” featuring former Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye and former Kenyan judge Effie Owuor, landed at Juba’s airport on Wednesday afternoon.
Machar’s SPLM-IO party expressed in a statement their “warm welcome” for the Council of the Wise’s arrival, viewing it as a positive step towards reducing tensions and advancing the peace process.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the AU’s Peace and Security Council called for Machar’s “immediate and unconditional release,” warning that recent events pose a threat to the 2018 peace agreement that concluded the war.
On Monday, Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga visited Juba on behalf of an East African regional organization to facilitate dialogue between the opposing factions. While Odinga met with Kiir, he reported being denied access to Machar.
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Analysts suggest that Kiir, 73, seems to be reinforcing his position amid growing dissatisfaction within his political faction, while the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan has exacerbated security issues by increasing the flow of weapons into the region.
The conflict from 2013 to 2018 was primarily driven by ethnic divisions, with fighters from the Dinka, the largest ethnic group in the country, supporting Kiir, and those from the Nuer, the second-largest group, backing Machar.
