South Sudan’s military arrested General Gabriel Duop Lam and surrounded Vice-President Riek Machar’s home, raising alarms about the peace deal’s stability. The arrest violates the 2018 power-sharing agreement and follows recent violent clashes in Upper Nile state, leading to casualties. Despite a peace deal meant to address years of civil war, tensions and violence persist in the country.
The recent arrest of General Gabriel Duop Lam, deputy head of South Sudan’s armed forces, has prompted fears about the stability of the country’s fragile peace deal. This action, which occurred after days of conflict in Upper Nile state, involves Duop Lam, an ally of Vice-President Riek Machar, who faces accusations of collusion with regional rebels from the Nuer ethnic group.
Machar’s spokesperson, Pal Mai Deng, has condemned this arrest as a violation of the 2018 power-sharing agreement that originally brought an end to South Sudan’s turbulent five-year civil war. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has also reported increased violence in the region, particularly in Nassir, where heavy clashes have led to military and civilian casualties.
The 2018 peace agreement aimed to resolve the ongoing civil war between President Salva Kiir and Machar, which resulted in approximately 400,000 deaths. However, systemic tensions remain, and widespread violence continues to plague South Sudan, a nation that achieved independence from Sudan in 2011.
The arrest of General Gabriel Duop Lam poses a serious threat to South Sudan’s delicate peace effort, stirring concerns about the integrity of the 2018 power-sharing agreement. Continued tensions and violence highlight the fragility of peace in South Sudan, underscoring the need for stability in a nation already scarred by civil conflict.
Original Source: newscentral.africa
