Riek Machar, the First Vice-President of South Sudan, has been formally charged with heinous crimes including murder, treason, and offenses against humanity. These developments have stirred fears of a potential resurgence of civil war in the nation.
According to Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech, the charges stem from a violent incident in March attributed to a militia reportedly tied to Machar himself.
In a noteworthy show of force, the roads to Machar’s home in Juba are now blockaded by tanks and military personnel, reflecting the gravity of the situation.
For background, Machar had been embroiled in a destructive civil war against supporters of President Salva Kiir, a conflict that lingered for five years until a peace agreement was dawned in 2018.
Since March, Machar has been under house arrest. Calls for restraint have been made by the United Nations, the African Union, and neighboring countries in light of rising tensions.
The resolution reached in 2018, which aimed to quell a conflict claiming nearly 400,000 lives, has faced peril due to escalating strife between Machar and Kiir amid ongoing ethnic friction and sporadic hostilities.
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