South Sudan's President Salva Kiir suspends First Vice President Riek Machar

South Sudan's First Vice President Riek Machar faces a number of serious charges, which potentially carry severe punishment, including life imprisonment or death.

As a result, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir on Thursday night, suspended Machar from office "pending court trial," the presidency said.

The announcement, contained in a presidential decree, was read out on the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC).

Also suspended is the country's Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol, a close ally of Machar.

'Treason, crimes against humanity'

Earlier on Thursday, South Sudan's Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech said that First Vice President Machar will answer to charges relating to treason, murder, and crimes against humanity.

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.