South Sudan’s opposition leader and former vice president, Riek Machar, appeared in court on Monday to face charges of crimes against humanity and treason, according to state media.
The fragile power-sharing arrangement between President Salva Kiir and his longtime rival, Riek Machar, has been breaking down for months, raising fears of a return to the civil war that claimed 400,000 lives in the 2010s.
Earlier this month, Machar was indicted on counts of murder, treason, and crimes against humanity, and was removed from his role as first vice-president in the unity government after spending several months under house arrest.
Authorities accuse him of ordering an ethnic militia to attack a military base in March, an assault the government says left more than 250 soldiers dead.
Machar’s camp rejects the allegations, insisting they are part of Kiir’s plan to sideline the opposition and tighten his grip on power.
“His Excellency Dr Riek Machar should not be tried by this incompetent court, which lacks jurisdiction,” his lawyer told the court on Monday, during Machar’s first hearing alongside several other defendants.
Failed Transition
South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011 but quickly descended into a brutal conflict between Kiir and Machar from 2013 to 2018.
Efforts by the international community to sustain the peace process and secure a democratic transition have largely fallen short.
Elections scheduled for December 2024 were pushed back to 2026, and the rival forces have yet to be integrated into a single army.
Last week, the United Nations released a report accusing the government of embezzling billions of dollars in oil revenue since independence while delivering almost nothing in essential sectors like health and education.
Supporters of Machar argue that the charges prove the collapse of the power-sharing deal and have called for armed mobilisation to achieve “regime change.”
Edmund Yakani, a prominent civil society activist in Juba, told AFP earlier this month that while charges against Machar were anticipated, their severity was “shocking.”
He argued that accusing him of crimes against humanity was “politically motivated,” and “legally… not justifiable” since such a charge is not recognised under South Sudanese law.
The case is linked to a March assault on a military base in Upper Nile State, a Machar stronghold, carried out by fighters from his Nuer ethnic group known as the White Army.
Machar’s allies deny he was behind the attack.
With Machar “being forced to appear before a kangaroo court and imposing charges against him, (it) is a clear indication that the SPLM-IG has chosen instability over peace,” a spokesman told AFP last week.
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