A United Nations rights body on Saturday said increased violence and political friction in South Sudan threaten its fragile peace process.
Chairperson of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, Yasmin Sooka said this in a statement days after the arrests of several officials allied to the country’s vice president.
It could be recalled that earlier this month that security forces loyal to President Salva Kiir arrested two ministers and several senior military officials allied with Riek Machar.
The arrests have reportedly raised tensions for the future of a 2018 peace deal which ended a five-year civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar that cost nearly 400,000 lives.
“We are witnessing an alarming regression that could erase years of hard-won progress. Rather than fuelling division and conflict, leaders must urgently refocus on the peace process, uphold the human rights of South Sudanese citizens, and ensure a smooth transition to democracy,” Sooka said.
The arrests followed heavy clashes in recent weeks in the strategic northern town of Nasir between national forces and the White Army militia, a loosely-organised group mostly from the Nuer, Machar’s ethnic group.
According to government spokesperson, Michael Makuei, the arrests were made because the Machar-allied officials are in conflict with the law.
Makuei has accused forces loyal to Machar of partnering with the White Army and attacking a military garrison near Nasir town on March 4.
The National Security Services intelligence agency on Saturday said it had arrested and detained several people believed to have verified links to the military confrontation in Nasir and another nearby town.
It, however, did not give the total number of arrests or their identities.