This week, what do the arrests of South Sudanese officials mean for peace? Zelensky says Ukraine ready to take steps toward peace “if Russia will do the same.” Protesters in conflicted Pakistan district demand roads be reopened.
What does the arrest of South Sudanese officials mean for peace?
On March 5, a spokesperson for Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar said that South Sudanese forces had arrested the country’s oil minister, along with several senior military officials allied with Machar. The spokesperson, Puok Both Baluang, told Reuters that oil minister Puot Kang Chol and deputy head of the army Gabriel Doup Lam were arrested, and that all other senior military officials allied with Machar were put under house arrest.
South Sudan experienced a civil war in 2013 between Machar and President Salva Kiir. Kiir accused Machar of plotting against him, and Machar was removed as vice president. This led to brutal violence between armed groups supporting both figures. In 2018, a peace deal was agreed upon, however, many issues remain. Although the agreement ended a five-year civil war that killed over 400,000 people, talks stalled after Kiir sacked the former government delegation to the talks.
Another spokesperson for Machar, Pal Mai Deng, told AFP that Gen. Lam’s arrest violates the peace pact, putting “the entire agreement at risk.” On March 6, forces arrested the country’s peacebuilding minister Stephen Par Kuol.
These developments come after analysts have warned about the risk of violence flaring up again in South Sudan, since the delicate balance between the two leaders risks collapsing, they say.
Zelensky says Ukraine Ready to Take steps Toward peace “If Russia Will Do the Same”
Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky on March 4 said that Ukraine was ready to take steps toward peace if Russia would take them as well. Zelensky said in a post on X that the first stages of an end to the war could be, “…the release of prisoners and truce in the sky — ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same.”
Despite recent tensions with US President Donald Trump, as well as the US’s cut to military aid for Ukraine, Zelensky expressed appreciation in his post for the US’s assistance to Ukraine. He also said on March 5 that there had been “positive movement” in cooperation with the US. On March 6, Zelensky announced that he will meet with US officials in Saudi Arabia next week. Russia did not immediately respond to the statements in Zelensky’s post.
This development comes after last month, Zelenskyy warned that no peace deal will be accepted by Ukraine without its involvement. Zelensky added that “Europeans needed to be at the negotiating table too,” and that his priority was “security guarantees.”
Protesters in Conflicted Pakistan District Demand Roads Be Reopened
Demonstrators in Pakistan’s conflicted Kurram district protested for four consecutive days for roads in the district that has been closed for five months to reopen, Tribal News Network (TNN) reported on March 5. The protesters demanded that the road be reopened, and for a relief package for the district’s residents who have suffered under the blockade.
This development comes after the Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial cabinet reaffirmed the government’s commitment to peace in the district on February 17.
Activists vowed to continue the protests until their demands were met, and warned that the protests would spread to rural areas if demands were not met. A trade union president told TNN that after a 15-day pause, 113 aid vehicles had made it to affected areas, however, 1,000 truckloads of supplies are urgently needed.
The most recent wave of violence in Kurram began on November 21, when gunmen attacked a vehicle convoy and killed 52 people, mostly shias. Despite a peace deal reached on January 1 between Sunni and Shia tribes in Kurram, militants attacked an aid convoy in the district on January 16. Deputy Commissioner Shaukat Ali said that one soldier had been killed, and four others wounded in the attack, with three convoy vehicles damaged.
Keywords: Peace, South Sudan, Ukraine, Pakistan, Kurram district, conflict, conflict resolution, negotiations, Zelensky
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is a journalist in Bangkok. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
