South Sudan’s Riek Machar Charged with Murder, Treason and Crimes Against Humanity
South Sudan’s First Vice-President, Riek Machar, has been formally charged with murder, treason, and crimes against humanity, a development that has sparked fears of renewed conflict in the fragile nation.
Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech said the charges stem from a March attack on an army base in Nasir, Upper Nile State, by the White Army militia, a group largely made up of fighters from Machar’s Nuer ethnic group. The assault reportedly left 250 soldiers and a general dead, while a UN helicopter came under fire, killing its pilot.
Security has since been tightened around Machar’s residence in the capital, Juba, with tanks and soldiers deployed to block access roads. The vice-president has been under house arrest since March, with the United Nations, African Union, and regional leaders urging calm.
Seven of Machar’s allies, including Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol and Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt Gen Gabriel Duop Lam, have also been charged. Another 13 suspects remain at large, according to the Justice Minister.
The charges mark a dramatic escalation in the political standoff between Machar and President Salva Kiir, whose forces fought a devastating five-year civil war against Machar’s supporters before a 2018 peace agreement brought relative stability. That conflict claimed nearly 400,000 lives and left deep ethnic and political divisions.
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