South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar has been charged with murder, treason, and crimes against humanity over alleged attacks by an ethnic militia on federal forces in March, the justice minister announced Thursday.
President Salva Kiir immediately suspended Machar from his post following the announcement, according to a decree broadcast on state radio. The move deepens the divide between South Sudan’s two main political factions, which fought a civil war from 2013 to 2018 that claimed an estimated 400,000 lives.
Justice Minister Joseph Geng said Machar allegedly commanded or influenced the White Army militia during the attacks in Nasir. He added that Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol was charged alongside Machar. Machar has been under house arrest since March.
International partners have repeatedly called for his release, warning that prolonged detention could reignite civil conflict.
The indictment names 20 other individuals, 13 of whom remain at large. Machar and Kiir had previously served in a unity government as part of the peace deal that ended the civil war, but sporadic violence and political tension have persisted.
Edmund Yakani, head of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, urged that the trial be fair, saying he hoped for “a competent court of law, not a kangaroo court of law.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on the s...
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases...
Kyrgyzstan is hosting the sixth World Nomad Games, bringing together thousands of athletes from around the worl...
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Iran has reached an understanding with Oman on transit arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz, but the waterway will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils its commitments, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused U.S. government and Israel-aligned actors of manipulating energy markets to promote the war with Iran.
Russian strikes on the Kyiv region overnight killed 37 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian capital was under "virtually nonstop attack" from drones.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan in the first direct U.S.-Iran military escalation in weeks.
Kyrgyzstan is hosting the sixth World Nomad Games, bringing together thousands of athletes from around the world for a celebration of traditional sports, cultural heritage and nomadic traditions.
Pakistan is set to take over the rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation after the bloc’s leaders meet in Bishkek. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived on Friday to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting and SCO Plus Summit, which run until 2 September.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the actions of Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Qusra, saying security operations should be handled only by state institutions, including the army and police.
Rescue teams in Nepal, supported by Chinese and Indian experts, worked through the night to reach hundreds of people believed to be trapped inside blocked hydropower project tunnels following last week’s catastrophic Himalayan flood.
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