Tensions are rising in the oil-rich east African nation of South Sudan after Riek Machar who serves as a vice president was arrested in the capital.

South Sudan’s main opposition party says a peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war has collapsed, following the arrest of its leader Riek Machar a day earlier

The detention of South Sudan's First Vice President Riek Machar has effectively collapsed the peace deal that ended the 2013-2018 civil war, his party said on Thursday.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has shed light on his party leader Raila Odinga’s new role in President William Ruto’s government, revealing that Raila was Ruto’s representative on high-profile matters pertaining to Kenya and the East African region.

The United Nations warned that the detention of Vice President Riek Machar threatens to push the world’s youngest country back into civil war.

The arrest of South Sudan’s First Vice President, Dr Riek Machar, has further deepened tensions between the country’s top political figures, raising concerns about renewed instability. According to media reports,

“After years of fragile peace, South Sudan is once again on the brink of civil war,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on social media platform Bluesky.