Juba, South Sudan —Security forces on Wednesday evening surrounded the residence of South Sudan’s Minister of Mining, Gen. Martin Gama Abucha, in the capital Juba, according to multiple security sources and eyewitness accounts.

The development came hours after President Salva Kiir issued a presidential decree relieving all ministers and deputy ministers affiliated with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army–In Opposition (SPLA-IO) from the Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU).

A senior security source, speaking to this publication on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the homes of all SPLA-IO ministers and their deputies named in the decree were placed under siege by the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the National Security Service (NSS) on Tuesday evening.

“SSPDF and NSS units were deployed around their residences immediately after the decree was announced,” the source said, adding that movements in and out of the homes were restricted. Independent verification of the deployments was not immediately possible.

The sweeping dismissal of SPLA-IO officials has heightened political tensions in the country, with opposition figures and analysts warning that the move effectively undermines the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which ended years of civil war and established the current power-sharing government.

Opposition-linked sources described the decree as an intentional collapse of the peace deal, though the presidency has not issued a detailed explanation beyond the text of the decree. Government officials were not immediately available for comment.

The latest political shake-up comes against the backdrop of renewed fighting in parts of Unity State, where government forces have reportedly lost territory to SPLA-IO units in recent weeks, according to military sources on both sides. The situation on the ground remains fluid, and casualty figures could not be independently confirmed.

As of publication, neither the SSPDF nor the NSS had released an official statement regarding the reported sieges, and it remains unclear whether any arrests have been made.

Observers warn that the targeting of opposition officials could further destabilize the fragile security situation in Juba and beyond.

This is a developing story. More updates will follow as information becomes available.