South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar has been charged with treason and several other serious crimes, raising fresh concerns that the country could slide back into civil war.
Local justice authorities announced the charges on Thursday, months after Machar was placed under house arrest in March for alleged subversive activities against President Salva Kiir. The government accuses him of influencing militias and armed groups still loyal to him, despite the delicate 2018 peace deal that ended years of bloody conflict.
Machar and seven others face counts of treason, murder, conspiracy, terrorism, destruction of public property and military assets, and crimes against humanity. The case is linked to a violent attack in March, when the White Army militia stormed a government garrison in Nasir, Upper Nile state, killing its commander and several others. The justice ministry claimed the attack was coordinated through Machar’s political and military networks.
Analysts say prosecuting Machar could further destabilise the fragile peace. His whereabouts remain unclear, and his supporters continue to demand his release. The justice ministry insists that he and his co-accused have been informed of the charges and their constitutional rights.
But Machar’s spokesman, Puok Both Baluang, dismissed the move as a political witch hunt, accusing the justice system of lacking independence. Civic leader Edmund Yakani also warned against what he called a “kangaroo court,” urging for transparent and competent legal proceedings.
The rivalry between Kiir, from the Dinka ethnic group, and Machar, from the Nuer, has shaped the country’s turbulent history. Both were key figures in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement that fought for independence in 2011, but decades of mistrust and ethnic division have fuelled repeated cycles of violence.
In 2013, Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup and removed him as deputy, sparking a civil war that killed an estimated 400,000 people. Although the 2018 peace agreement brought Machar back as vice president, relations between the two leaders remain tense.
With treason charges now hanging over Machar, South Sudan’s fragile transition faces a critical test. Regional leaders are urging both sides to find common ground and prevent the country from spiralling back into conflict.
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