Amnesty International has urged South Sudanese authorities to ensure transparency in the trial of opposition leader Riek Machar, who faces treason and several other grave charges. The rights group warned on Friday that a closed or restricted legal process could heighten political instability in a nation still recovering from years of conflict.
The call came just a day after President Salva Kiir announced the suspension of Machar from his post as first vice president, effectively dismantling the fragile transitional unity government that had been in place to prevent a relapse into civil war.
Machar, along with seven others, has been accused of treason, murder, conspiracy, terrorism, destruction of public property and military assets, and crimes against humanity. He and his wife have reportedly been under house arrest since March, with mounting concerns over his safety as he has not been seen in public for months. Authorities have not disclosed when his trial will begin.
Amnesty stressed the importance of due process, stating: “We remind the authorities of their obligation of the right to a public hearing. This means that not only the parties and victims in the case, but also the general public, independent observers and the media have the right to be present during criminal trials.”
The charges are linked to a violent episode in March, when the White Army militia overran a government garrison in Nasir, Upper Nile state, killing its commander and several others. The justice ministry alleges the assault was orchestrated through “coordinated military and political structures” under Machar’s influence.
Machar’s political faction, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), has raised alarm about his welfare, claiming he has been isolated without proper access to legal counsel or independent monitors. Pal Mai Deng, SPLM-IO spokesman and former minister of water and irrigation, said: “We do not know how safe he is.”
Analysts fear the case is politically motivated. Daniel Akech of the International Crisis Group told The Associated Press the charges appear to be “a pretext for a political power struggle.” He warned that the situation could inflame long-standing ethnic divisions and risk dragging the country back into widespread violence: “This action has deepened long-standing ethnic cleavages and might lead to a return to civil war along ethnic contours.”
Fighting has already intensified between pro-government forces and militias alleged to be aligned with Machar, who accuses Kiir of entrenching dictatorship. The uncertainty is compounded by repeated delays to elections originally envisioned under the 2018 peace accord.
The bitter rivalry between the two leaders has shaped South Sudan’s turbulent political landscape since independence from Sudan in 2011. Both former rebel commanders now lead competing factions within the ruling party, but their deep divisions remain. Kiir, from the Dinka—the country’s largest ethnic group—has long clashed with Machar, a Nuer, representing South Sudan’s second-largest community.
With Machar’s trial looming, observers caution that prosecuting him under the current climate risks inflaming tensions at a time when the world’s youngest nation is already on edge.
