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yesterday

South Sudan Charges Vice President Riek Machar With Murder and Crimes Against Humanity

The indictment tests the credibility of South Sudan's fragile power-sharing peace deal.

FILE - South Sudan's rebel leader Riek Machar speaks to the media about the situation in South Sudan following a peace agreement the week before with the government, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, Aug. 31, 2015. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene, File)
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Machar was placed under house arrest a few weeks after the attack

Overview

  • Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech announced charges tied to the March assault on the Nasir military base that killed more than 250 soldiers.
  • Prosecutors listed offenses including murder, conspiracy, terrorism, treason, destruction of public property and crimes against humanity.
  • Twenty others were indicted alongside Machar, including former petroleum minister Puot Kang Chol, and authorities said 13 suspects remain at large.
  • The government alleges the White Army militia carried out the March 3–7 attack, with senior officers killed and a UN helicopter fired upon, killing a pilot.
  • Machar has been under house arrest since March as officials declare the case sub judice, while the UN and foreign governments warn detention and prosecutions risk renewed conflict.