South Sudanese forces have arrested Peacebuilding Minister Stephen Par Kuol, escalating tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar in a standoff that church leaders warn could lead to renewed conflict.
“The National Security Service (NSS) has struck again, arresting Hon. Stephen Par Kuol … from his office a few minutes ago,” Machar’s spokesperson, Puok Both Baluang, said on X.
Kuol’s arrest follows the detention of Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol, Deputy Army Chief Gabriel Doup Lam, and other senior military officials earlier this week. The moves come after heavy fighting in Upper Nile State between government forces and the White Army, a militia composed mainly of Nuer fighters, Machar’s ethnic group.
The government has not commented on the arrests, but Information Minister Michael Makuei on Wednesday accused Machar’s forces of working with the White Army to attack a military garrison near the town of Nasir.
The White Army previously fought alongside Machar’s forces in South Sudan’s 2013-2018 civil war against troops loyal to Kiir, whose power base is among the Dinka ethnic group. That conflict killed an estimated 400,000 people and displaced 2.5 million, just two years after South Sudan gained independence from Sudan.
A 2018 peace deal largely ended direct clashes between Kiir and Machar’s forces, but localized violence persists, and Sudan’s ongoing war has increased the flow of weapons to armed groups in South Sudan. Kuol was one of the key figures involved in negotiating the agreement.
Church leaders on Thursday condemned the arrests and rising political tensions, warning that “escalating insecurity, political tensions, and violence threaten the peace” and calling for renewed dialogue.
Daniel Akech Thiong, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the detentions mark a dangerous shift. “These arrests indicate a serious escalation, likely prompting armed groups linked to the opposition to respond with attacks on government bases in Upper Nile and Jonglei states,” he said.
The crisis comes amid delays in South Sudan’s long-promised elections. Originally scheduled for 2023, the vote was postponed to December 2026, with officials citing the need for more time to prepare.