South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has charged First Vice-President Riek Machar and 20 others with murder, treason, and crimes against humanity, sparking concerns that the 2018 peace accord may collapse and civil war could resume.
The charges stem from clashes in March between Nuer youth from the White Army and Salva’s forces, which resulted in the death of Lieutenant-General David Majur Dak.
Machar has been under house arrest since March 26, along with his wife and several bodyguards, despite international calls for their release.
The SPLM-IO has stated that the arrests breach the peace agreement, while the government insists that no one is above the law.
The UN Security Council has urged restraint, but the situation remains tense, with Uganda having sent military support to Salva Kiir in defiance of a UN arms embargo.
The charges against Machar are seen as an attempt to sideline him politically, and his allies insist he had nothing to do with the clashes
