The opposition in South Sudan on Monday called on its supporters to mobilize for regime change, in response to plans to try its leader Riek Machar on charges of treason and crimes against humanity.
In a statement posted on X, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) said “the current regime is dictatorial and corrupt,” accusing it of “derailing peace efforts and seizing state institutions through illegitimate means,” and affirming that it “will work to bring about regime change.”
The statement urged “all supporters of the movement, members of its political and military wings, and the citizens of the Republic of South Sudan to heed the call of duty in defense of the people and the nation, and to use all available means to reclaim the country and its sovereignty.”
This came after Machar was charged last Thursday with murder, terrorism, and committing crimes against humanity in connection with an attack on a military base that killed more than 250 soldiers.
The charges relate to an assault carried out in March by an armed group known as the “White Army,” which the government claims was conducted under Machar’s orders, despite his being under house arrest since that month amid a power struggle with President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
Machar’s confinement under house arrest has stirred international concern over the potential resurgence of South Sudan’s devastating civil war, which erupted from 2013 to 2018 between his forces, largely from the Nuer ethnic group, and fighters from the Dinka community loyal to Kiir. The conflict left around 400,000 people dead and displaced some 4 million.
A peace agreement eventually ended nearly seven years of hostilities between Machar’s supporters and those of President Kiir. Both men later joined a unity government as part of the accord, but their partnership remained fragile, with sporadic outbreaks of violence between their sides.
The statement, released on X by Machar’s spokesperson Puok Both Baluang, has renewed fears of fresh conflict in South Sudan, one of the world’s poorest nations.
Political analysts note that Kiir has long sought to sideline Machar in favor of replacing him with his close ally, Second Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel, who is under U.S. sanctions over allegations of having received preferential treatment in state contracts.
Source: AFP
