A special court in South Sudan has ruled that it has the authority to prosecute suspended Vice-President Riek Machar and seven co-accused on charges of murder, treason, and crimes against humanity, rejecting arguments from his defense team. Machar, who has been under house arrest since March, dismissed the charges as a political “witch-hunt.” His party, the SPLM-IO, has condemned the case as a “sham trial” driven by tribal and political motives, warning that it risks plunging the fragile country back into civil war.
The charges stem from a March attack allegedly carried out by a militia linked to Machar, which left 250 soldiers and a senior general dead. Prosecutors say Machar bears responsibility, but his lawyers argue the case should be handled by a long-promised African Union hybrid court, as stipulated in the 2018 peace agreement that ended South Sudan’s five-year civil war. Presiding Judge James Alala dismissed that argument, ruling that the national special court had full jurisdiction since no AU-backed tribunal has been set up. He also rejected claims that Machar is immune from prosecution, clarifying that only the president enjoys constitutional immunity under South Sudan’s transitional charter.
The court expelled two of Machar’s lawyers for lacking valid licenses, though it said they may rejoin once their paperwork is renewed. The case has raised deep concerns among South Sudan’s international partners. The UN, African Union, and neighboring states have urged restraint, warning that the trial could heighten tensions in a country still struggling to recover from decades of war. South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation after gaining independence in 2011, has endured chronic instability and violence despite peace agreements. Machar, a longtime rival of President Salva Kiir, was a central figure in the brutal conflict that killed an estimated 400,000 people between 2013 and 2018. The trial will resume on Wednesday.
