Allies of South Sudan's arrested vice president denounce weapons ban

The political movement of a detained South Sudanese vice president on Monday called on followers to ignore army orders not to carry arms in public and instead "remain armed and vigilant".

The army demand came amid fears of renewed fighting in the conflict-wracked country following the March 26 arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar, a longtime rival to President Salva Kiir.

Along with the weapons ban, the army also told Riek Machar's SPLA-IO forces to report to government offices or barracks "to resume their normal duties", according to a SPLA-IO statement.

"This is completely a misplaced assumption of command by the SSPDF," it said, using the army's official abbreviation, ordering "all its forces and armed civilians in its controlled areas to remain armed and vigilant".

Riek Machar and Salva Kiir entered a power-sharing deal in 2018 that has gradually unravelled, risking a return of the civil war that killed around 400,000 people in the African nation.

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More than 20 of the vice president's political and military allies have been arrested since February, with some held incommunicado.

South Sudan has been bedevilled by instability and insecurity since it independence in 2011. The country has remained impoverished despite its natural resource wealth.

African Union mediators arrived last week in Juba for talks with Salva Kiir, according to the South Sudanese presidency.