South Sudan’s Vice-President, Riek Machar, has been formally charged with murder, treason, and crimes against humanity in connection with an attack on a military base that resulted in the deaths of over 250 soldiers. The charges, announced by Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech, come amid a breakdown in the country’s already fragile power-sharing agreement between Machar and President Salva Kiir.
In early March, a militia group associated with Machar’s Nuer ethnic community, known as the White Army, launched a brutal assault on a military base in Nasir County, Upper Nile State. The attack, which lasted from March 3 to 7, left several senior military officers, including a general, dead. The United Nations also reported that one of its helicopters was targeted while trying to assist the soldiers, resulting in the death of the pilot.
The government claims that Machar was responsible for orchestrating the attack, along with 20 other individuals. In addition to murder and treason, the charges include conspiracy, terrorism, and the destruction of public property. “These crimes were marked by gross violations of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law,” Minister Akech said, citing atrocities such as the desecration of corpses, persecution of civilians, and attacks on humanitarian workers.
South Sudan’s political climate has been increasingly unstable, with Kiir seeking to consolidate power and sideline his rival Machar. The two leaders’ power-sharing agreement, which was established in 2018 after the country’s brutal civil war, has been deteriorating for months. Machar was placed under house arrest following the attack, and many of his allies were detained. The international community has expressed concern over the political crisis, which has also delayed elections originally scheduled for December 2024.
The violent attack on the Nasir military base is one of the most severe in recent months, further complicating South Sudan’s journey towards peace.
The United Nations condemned the violence, warning that the country was facing “an alarming regression” that could undo years of hard-won progress. With tensions escalating and political divides widening, South Sudan remains on edge as the world’s youngest country grapples with its ongoing challenges.
