South Sudan’s opposition has called tribalism concerning the verdict of the country’s First Vice President.
Salva Kiir, the President of South Sudan, dismissed Riek Machar via a live radio broadcast subsequent to a treason conviction.
The ruling resulted from the vice president’s alleged involvement in organizing a revolt and working with militia troops.
However, Machar’s party has come out to call the entire episode a charade, contending instead that the vice president is the victim of an Ethno-political purge.
The party accused the administration of attempting to enforce “authoritarian control and one-tribe rule,” as reported by Reuters.
Rift between South Sudan’s president and vice president
The charges leveled against Machar are the latest in a long-running power tussle between him and the country’s president.
Both men are the leaders of several political groups whose rivalries fueled South Sudan’s violent civil war between 2013 and 2018.
During the brutal conflict, millions of South Sudanese people lost their homes, and a staggering 400,000 were killed before a peace deal was reached.
The peace deal entailed that Kiir and Machar establish a unified government.
However, their cooperation has been riddled with distrust, and periodic violence between their followers has continued.
The decision to legally prosecute Machar is expected to deepen the delicate divisions in the young country and damage the administration even further.
Justice Minister Madol said that Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol and former deputy army chief Gabriel Duop Lam are among those accused of murder, conspiracy, and property damage.
President Kiir then removed Kang Chol from his ministerial post.
International powers and regional mediators have repeatedly called for Machar’s release, alleging that his incarceration violates the spirit of the 2018 peace agreement and risks plunging South Sudan back into civil war.
