The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) on Friday rejected the suspension and planned prosecution of its leader, First Vice President Riek Machar, calling the moves politically motivated and a violation of a 2018 peace agreement.
The rejection follows an announcement by Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 11, that Machar and seven others had been charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity. The charges relate to a March attack on a military base in Nassir, Upper Nile state, that killed more than 250 soldiers. The government alleges the attack was carried out by the White Army militia under Machar’s direction.
On Thursday night, President Salva Kiir suspended Machar from his post. Machar has been under house arrest since March 26 in a move widely seen by observers as part of a long-standing power struggle with Kiir.
SPLM-IO spokesperson Pal Mai Deng, speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Friday, condemned the legal process as a “kangaroo court.” He said the suspension lacked any legal basis and contravened the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, to which both parties are signatories.
“The SPLM-IO and SPLM-IG are principal signatories to the peace agreement. No party has the authority to unilaterally suspend or prosecute members of the other,” Deng said. “Per Article 5.3, responsibility for accountability lies with the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, not with national institutions acting outside the framework of the agreement.”
Deng, a former water resources minister, argued the government’s actions represented a “total abrogation” of the agreement and risked derailing the peace process. “These sham trials and possible convictions humiliate our members and signal a complete collapse of the peace process,” he said.
When asked if the SPLM-IO would send legal representatives to court, Deng said the movement did not recognize the trials’ legitimacy. “We see no legal or moral ground for our members to appear before such a politically compromised court,” he said.
Deng called on regional guarantors of the peace agreement, particularly the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union, and the wider international community, to intervene. “Their silence would allow this agreement to collapse completely,” he said.
Asked if the SPLM-IO now considered the peace agreement void, Deng replied: “The agreement has been severely undermined. It’s difficult to say it’s still holding unless there is real pressure from the region and international community.”
He reaffirmed the group’s commitment to peace but said the government must “reverse all violations and unconditionally release our detained members if there is to be any path forward.”
The 2018 agreement, signed by Kiir and Machar, mandates the African Union to establish a Hybrid Court for South Sudan to prosecute individuals for violations of international law. The court’s establishment has been delayed.