South Sudan charges First Vice President Riek Machar with murder, treason

South Sudan's First Vice President Riek Machar has been charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity over an attack on a military base that killed more than 250 soldiers, the country's justice minister said on Thursday.

In early March, an armed group from Machar's ethnic Nuer community known as the White Army attacked a military base in Nasir County, Upper Nile State in the northeast of the country.

The government says Machar was responsible and has now charged him and 20 others with murder, conspiracy, terrorism, treason, destruction of public property, and crimes against humanity.

"These crimes were marked by gross violations of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, including the desecration of corpses, persecution of civilians, and attacks on humanitarian workers," Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech said, according to a read-out provided to reporters in Juba.

Military base attack

The military base in Nasir was overrun by the White Army between March 3 and 7, 2025.

Several senior officers including a general died and a United Nations helicopter also came under fire while attempting to rescue soldiers at the base, leading to the death of a pilot.

"This case sends a clear message: those who commit atrocities against the people of South Sudan, against our armed forces, and against humanitarian personnel will be held accountable, no matter their position or political influence," the minister said in the statement.