# South Sudan charges Riek Machar with murder, treason and crimes against humanity
*Event date: 2025-09-11*
South Sudan's first vice-president, Riek Machar, has been charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity, raising new fears that the world's youngest country could slide back toward civil war. The BBC report says Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech linked the charges to a March attack by a militia allegedly tied to Machar that killed 250 soldiers and a general.
The legal move is unfolding under heavy security. Tanks and soldiers blocked the roads to Machar's house in Juba, and he has been under house arrest since March. The report says the UN, African Union and neighboring countries have all called for calm. That caution reflects the memory of South Sudan's earlier conflict, which killed nearly 400,000 people before the 2018 peace deal was signed.
Seven others were charged alongside Machar, including Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol and Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt Gen Gabriel Duop Lam. Another 13 suspects remain at large, according to the minister. Machar and Chol were also suspended from their government roles, which makes the dispute not just criminal but institutional. Their spokesman, Puok Both Baluang, said the case had been fabricated by Kiir's allies to dismantle the peace agreement and argued that the judiciary was not independent.
The March violence at the center of the case involved the White Army militia, a largely Nuer force that overran an army base in Nasir. A U.N. helicopter was also hit, and its pilot was killed. The justice minister said the case sent a clear message that no one, regardless of rank, would be shielded from accountability. He also said the matter should now stay in court rather than be turned into a political or diplomatic dispute.
The report leaves Machar himself in a precarious position. He has not responded directly to the allegation that he was behind the attack, but the charges mean that a peace arrangement meant to stabilize South Sudan is under severe strain again. The 2018 deal ended a devastating war, yet the relationship between Machar and President Salva Kiir has remained tense, and this latest step suggests that the political settlement is now being tested in court as well as on the ground.
The security buildup around Machar's house, the arrest of allies and the suspension of officials all point to a crisis that is no longer only about one attack. It now tests whether the 2018 peace arrangement can survive another surge of mistrust between Juba's rivals.
