South Sudan has opened the trial of former First Vice President Riek Machar, who was dismissed by President Salva Kiir and charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity. Machar and seven others, including Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol, appeared in court in Juba on Monday, seated in a barred cage during a live national broadcast.
The government accuses Machar of ordering the White Army militia to attack a military base in Nasir, northeastern South Sudan, in March, killing more than 250 soldiers. A decree earlier this month announced his suspension, following months of house arrest in the capital.
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Machar’s party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in Opposition, has rejected the charges as fabricated, while his lawyer said an “incompetent court” without jurisdiction is handling the case. Rights activist Edmund Yakani has urged the authorities to ensure transparency and fairness in the proceedings to restore public trust.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has warned that the case risks fuelling renewed conflict. The country, which gained independence in 2011, descended into civil war two years later, leaving 400,000 people dead before a 2018 peace deal brought Kiir and Machar into a unity government that has remained deeply divided.
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