South Sudan vice president Riek Machar charged with treason

South Sudan first vice president Riek Machar is facing charges of treason and other serious crimes, local justice authorities said, as fears grow that the east African country could be edging towards a return to civil war.

Machar has been under house arrest since March after the transitional government which he is a part of accused him of subversive activities against President Salva Kiir.

Pro-government troops have been fighting militias and other armed groups they say are loyal to Machar, who serves as his country’s numnber two under the terms of a delicate peace deal signed in 2018.

That agreement has not been fully implemented.

The criminal charges against Machar and others are likely to further destabilise South Sudan, whose government faces pressure from regional leaders to reach a political agreement that prevents a return to full-blown war.

It was not immediately clear when Machar would face a courtroom. His precise whereabouts in South Sudan are unknown and his political supporters have long called for his freedom.