South Sudan’s fragile political order was thrown into deeper turmoil on Thursday as Vice President Riek Machar was charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity. The charges stem from a deadly assault on a military base that killed more than 250 soldiers in March, according to the country’s justice minister.
The announcement marks a dramatic escalation in the power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his longtime rival and deputy. Their uneasy partnership has been at the heart of a peace deal meant to hold together the world’s youngest nation after years of civil war.
Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech said the attack in Nasir County, Upper Nile State, was carried out by the White Army, a militia drawn largely from Machar’s Nuer community. The base was overrun between March 3 and 7.
“These crimes were marked by gross violations of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, including the desecration of corpses, persecution of civilians and attacks on humanitarian workers,” Mr Akech said in a statement released in Juba.
He added that Machar and 20 others now face charges ranging from conspiracy and terrorism to the destruction of public property. “This case sends a clear message: those who commit atrocities against the people of South Sudan, against our armed forces and against humanitarian personnel will be held accountable, no matter their position or political influence,” he said.
The fighting claimed the lives of several senior officers, including a general. A United Nations helicopter came under fire while attempting to evacuate soldiers, leading to the death of a pilot.
The UN mission in South Sudan warned at the time that the country was “witnessing an alarming regression that could erase years of hard-won progress.”
Tensions between Kiir and Machar have been building for months. Machar was placed under house arrest shortly after the attack, and many of his allies have since been detained. Analysts say the charges could effectively sideline him from politics altogether.
South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011 but soon spiralled into a brutal five-year civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar. The conflict killed an estimated 400,000 people before a power-sharing deal was signed in 2018.
That fragile agreement has come under repeated strain. Elections, initially set for December 2024, were postponed for two years, adding to frustration among international partners who have pressed for a transition to democracy.
The latest crisis underscores how far the country remains from stability. While Kiir moves to consolidate power, the spectre of renewed conflict looms over a nation still scarred by its violent past.
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