South Sudan’s First Vice President, Riek Machar, has been charged with treason and multiple other serious crimes, the country’s justice ministry announced Thursday, raising fears of renewed conflict in the fragile nation.
Machar, who has been under house arrest since March, is accused of orchestrating subversive activities against President Salva Kiir. Authorities say pro-government forces have been clashing with militias and armed groups allegedly loyal to him.
In addition to treason, Machar and seven others face charges of murder, conspiracy, terrorism, destruction of public property, crimes against humanity, and attacks on military assets.
The allegations stem from a March assault in Nasir, Upper Nile State, when the White Army militia overran a government garrison, killing the commanding officer and others.
Officials claim the attack was carried out under Machar’s influence through “coordinated military and political structures.”
The move to prosecute Machar threatens to destabilize South Sudan further, as regional leaders continue to pressure Juba to fully implement the 2018 peace deal that ended years of civil war.
It remains unclear when Machar will appear in court or where he is currently being held. His supporters have dismissed the charges as a politically motivated “witch hunt,” accusing the justice system of lacking independence.
Civic activist Edmund Yakani cautioned against what he called a “kangaroo court,” urging that the trial be handled by a competent judiciary and remain open to the public.
Kiir and Machar, once comrades in the liberation struggle that secured South Sudan’s independence in 2011, have been bitter rivals for decades.
Their feud, rooted in ethnic and political divisions, has repeatedly destabilized the country—most notably in 2013 when fighting between their loyalists sparked a civil war that left an estimated 400,000 people dead.
Observers warn the new charges could inflame tensions once again, threatening South Sudan’s fragile stability.
