JUBA, South Sudan — South Sudan has launched a trial against First Vice President Riek Machar, who was recently dismissed by President Salva Kiir and faces charges including murder, treason and crimes against humanity linked to ethnic conflict and a militia attack.
Machar and seven co-defendants — among them Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol — appeared in court Monday, sitting inside a barred cage during a nationally televised hearing. Authorities have kept Machar under house arrest in Juba for months following government-led investigations into his allies. Earlier this month, a presidential decree announced on state radio said Kiir had suspended his longtime rival over alleged ties to violence carried out by the White Army militia in March.
The government accuses Machar of ordering the White Army, a loose alliance of armed youths, to attack a military base in Nasir, northeastern South Sudan, killing more than 250 soldiers.
Edmund Yakani, head of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, told local media the proceedings should be transparent and impartial to strengthen public confidence in the judiciary.
Yakani also called on political leaders to “resolve disputes through dialogue” rather than armed confrontation. Machar’s party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-in Opposition (SPLM/IO), has rejected the charges as “fabricated” and said its members were unlawfully detained.
Machar’s attorney argued Monday that an “incompetent court” with no proper jurisdiction is presiding over the case.
