Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech said the charges stem from a March attack by the White Army, an ethnic militia reportedly linked to Machar, on a military base in the northeastern town of Nasir. The assault killed more than 250 soldiers, including a general, and targeted a UN helicopter, resulting in the death of its pilot.
'Evidence further reveals that the White Army operated under the command and influence of certain leaders of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army-in-Opposition (SPLM/A-iO), including Dr. Riek Machar Teny,' Justice Minister Geng said.
The minister added that the case sends a clear message that those responsible for atrocities against South Sudanese citizens, armed forces, and humanitarian workers will be held accountable.
Hours after the charges were announced, President Salva Kiir suspended Machar from his government role, along with Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol, who faces charges alongside Machar. Both have been under house arrest since March, alongside other Machar allies. Thirteen additional suspects remain at large.
Machar's spokesperson, Puok Both Baluang, condemned the charges as a 'political witch-hunt,' arguing that they were 'designed to dismantle the peace agreement' signed in 2018 and that South Sudan's judicial system is 'politically directed.'
The charges mark the latest escalation in tensions between Machar and President Kiir, whose forces fought a five-year civil war from 2013 to 2018, killing nearly 400,000 people and displacing roughly a third of the population.
A 2018 peace deal established a unity government, but relations between the two leaders have remained strained, with sporadic violence continuing across the country.
International actors, including the UN and the African Union, have called for calm and warned that Machar's detention could reignite civil conflict. Edmund Yakani, executive director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, urged that the trial be conducted by 'a competent court of law, not a kangaroo court.'
Machar has not publicly responded to the charges. The government has urged that the matter be left to the courts, without political or diplomatic interference.
South Sudan, the world's youngest country, gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict, but internal divisions and ethnic rivalries have continued to fuel instability.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/south-sudan-vp-riek-machar-charged-with-treason-and-murder
