South Sudan’s First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, prepares to stand trial today for charges of murder, treason, and crimes against humanity.
The charges stem from a deadly March assault carried out by armed groups allegedly loyal to Machar, in which 250 government soldiers, including a high-ranking general, were killed.
The case is one of the most serious challenges yet to the peace deal that brought Machar back into government alongside his longtime rival, President Salva Kiir.
It has already sparked widespread anxiety that the country could spiral back into civil war after seven uneasy years of relative calm.
Machar was stripped of his government duties following the attack, which authorities say was perpetrated by fighters from his ethnic group, the Nuer.
The Nuer community has a long and bitter rivalry with the Dinka ethnic group, to which President Kiir belongs.
Observers warn that the prosecution could inflame long-standing divisions. “This trial risks being perceived not as a pursuit of justice but as an escalation of ethnic and political vendettas,” said a political analyst in Juba.
Supporters of Machar have denounced the proceedings as a political witch hunt, accusing President Kiir of manipulating the justice system to silence dissent.
“This is not about justice, it is about eliminating opposition,” one spokesperson for Machar’s party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – In Opposition.(SPLM-IO), said in a statement.
The trial comes against the backdrop of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, a hard-won deal that ended years of bloody conflict between Kiir and Machar’s forces.
That agreement forced the two bitter enemies into a power-sharing government, which has remained shaky but largely intact until now.
Relations between the two leaders, however, have grown increasingly strained, with sporadic ethnic clashes breaking out in various regions of South Sudan.
Analysts fear that putting Machar on trial could push the SPLM-IO and its supporters to withdraw from the unity government, plunging the nation back into violence.
“South Sudan’s peace is fragile, and this trial could shatter it entirely,” warned a regional diplomat familiar with the mediation process. “The international community must act quickly to prevent another descent into war.”
For many of Machar’s loyalists, the case represents more than just a legal battle—it is a struggle for political survival. They argue that the government is scapegoating Machar for ethnic violence that has flared across the country due to years of instability and lack of reform.
As Machar heads to court, the stakes could not be higher. A conviction could destabilize the already fragile government, while an acquittal might embolden his supporters but deepen mistrust between him and President Kiir.
