The European Union has expressed deep concern over the arrest of South Sudan’s Vice President, Riek Machar, by forces loyal to President Salva Kiir, fearing it could reignite conflict in the country.
A spokesman for the European Commission, Anouar El Anouni, urged President Kiir to reverse the action and stabilise the situation.
The EU also called on all leaders to engage in direct dialogue promptly and avoid violence.
“As a result of the deteriorating security situation in South Sudan, we have decided to temporarily reduce our personnel on the ground,” the spokesman added.
Riek Machar was arrested on Wednesday at his residence in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, raising fears of a return to civil war after a fragile peace agreement signed in 2018.
Since its independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan has been plagued by violence, preventing any recovery from the conflict that raged between the rival leaders from 2013 to 2018.
The civil war resulted in nearly 400,000 deaths and displaced four million people.
