Ruto Sends Raila to Mediate South Sudan Peace Talks After Machar's Arrest

President William Ruto has dispatched former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as a special envoy to South Sudan in a bid to initiate peace talks in Juba on 

This comes amid escalating tensions following the arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar. Raila's mission follows discussions between Ruto, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, during which Ruto stressed the urgency of de-escalation and pledged to engage with South Sudanese leaders. 

To support the mission, specialized police officers from Kenya’s National Police Service (NPS) have also been deployed to undertake peacekeeping duties in line with international standards, according to a statement from the NPS. The move comes in response to the detention of Machar on Wednesday, March 26, during which security forces reportedly raided his residence, disarming his bodyguards and placing him and his wife, Interior and Coordination Minister Angela Teny, under police custody. 

Machar leads the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) and is a key figure in South Sudan's political landscape. His arrest has triggered widespread international condemnation, particularly from the United States, with calls for his immediate release. The African Union has also responded to the crisis, deploying its Panel of the Wise to Juba as part of broader measures aimed at addressing the situation. 

South Sudan is teetering on the precipice of renewed widespread conflict following escalating violence between the White Army militia and the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), alongside the subsequent arrest of opposition figures. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the United Nations have issued urgent calls for restraint, warning that the country risks a return to civil war, which could destabilize the entire region.
Tensions spiked earlier this month when the White Army, a militia group claiming to defend the Nuer community, launched attacks in Nasir County, ultimately overrunning an army base. 

The government responded with aerial bombardments of areas believed to be White Army strongholds and began arresting opposition members. On March 7th, at least 27 soldiers, including an SSPDF commander and a UN crew member, were killed when a UN helicopter attempting to evacuate troops from Nasir county came under fire. Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, the deputy chair of SPLM-IO, asserts that Machar’s detention effectively nullifies the power-sharing agreement, jeopardizing the prospects for peace and stability in South Sudan.

Nicholas Haysom, head of the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, says that the country stands on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict. He urges all parties to immediately cease hostilities and engage in constructive dialogue. South Sudan's current turmoil threatens to undo the fragile peace established after a long history of conflict.