President William Ruto has appointed former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga as Kenya’s special envoy to South Sudan.
This decision follows the arrest of South Sudan’s First Vice President and opposition leader Riek Machar, along with his wife, Interior Minister Angelina Teny.
Odinga is set to travel on Friday to help prevent escalating tensions from plunging the country into another civil war.
Machar, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), was taken into custody on Wednesday in a move that has drawn swift reactions from the international community. His party had earlier raised concerns that security forces loyal to President Salva Kiir had surrounded his residence.
On Wednesday evening, a heavily armed convoy, led by South Sudan’s defense minister and national security chief, forcefully entered Machar’s home. His security detail was disarmed, and an arrest warrant was presented under unclear charges. While some of his aides were detained and removed from the premises, Machar and his wife remain under house arrest.
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The SPLM-IO has condemned the arrest, citing it as violating the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement. The UN Mission in South Sudan has also warned that the country risks sliding back into widespread conflict.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has expressed concern that the situation could derail the transitional process and reignite full-scale war, with devastating regional consequences. The U.S. has urged President Kiir to reverse Machar’s detention.
President Ruto consulted with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed before appointing Odinga to mediate the crisis.
The African Union has also deployed its Panel of the Wise, chaired by Kenya’s retired Justice Effie Owuor, to aid in peace efforts.
