SPLM/A-IO Rejects Kiir’s Sham Trial: Justice Twisted into Political Persecution

SPLM-IO Press Release
Europe

For Immediate Release
12 September 2025

SPLM/A-IO Condemns Politically Motivated Trial and Reaffirms Dr. Riek Machar’s Compliance with the Peace Agreement

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army – In Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) categorically rejects the politically orchestrated trial initiated by President Salva Kiir’s regime against Dr. Riek Machar Teny. This is not justice but persecution—an attempt to eliminate political rivals while atrocities continue across South Sudan.

Since the signing of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS), guaranteed by the Troika, IGAD, the African Union, and the wider international community, Dr. Machar has fully complied with every obligation imposed upon him:

• He endured prolonged confinement in South Africa.

• He was transferred to Khartoum, then to Juba, always under restriction and surveillance.

• At no time has Dr. Machar been free to travel, communicate, or exercise his role independently as envisaged in the Agreement.

In contrast, President Kiir’s regime has violated both the spirit and letter of the Agreement. Atrocities against civilians have intensified, including the bombing of villages, the targeting of hospitals, and scorched-earth campaigns in opposition areas such as Nasir.

Even more troubling is the role of certain peace guarantors. While they signed up to safeguard peace, they have instead supplied weapons to Kiir’s regime—directly breaching the arms embargo and enabling war crimes. Uganda, a supposed guarantor, currently has more than 10,000 soldiers inside South Sudan fighting alongside Kiir. These forces have been complicit in atrocities against South Sudanese civilians.

It is therefore preposterous that Dr. Machar—isolated, restricted, and incommunicado—should now be accused of inciting violence. The real architects of South Sudan’s suffering sit in Juba, aided by foreign backers who have abandoned their role as neutral guarantors of peace.

Our Position

• On Compliance: Dr. Riek Machar has upheld every condition demanded by the Peace Agreement and its guarantors.

• On Violations: Kiir’s regime, supported by foreign troops and illegal arms flows, has trampled the Agreement and committed atrocities.

• On Accountability: Responsibility for crimes against humanity lies with those in power and their enablers—not with opposition leaders scapegoated for political convenience.

Call to the International Community

We call upon IGAD, the African Union, the United Nations, the Troika, and all democratic partners to:

1. Reject Kiir’s sham trial as illegitimate and politically motivated.

2. Investigate breaches of the arms embargo and the role of foreign forces in war crimes.

3. Reaffirm the binding authority of the 2018 Peace Agreement.

4. Ensure that accountability mechanisms target those who order and commit atrocities—not those who have sought peace.

The people of South Sudan deserve genuine peace, dignity, and justice. Law must not be twisted into a weapon of dictatorship, nor should guarantors of peace be allowed to become suppliers of war.

Victoria Thomas-Thot
Civil Society Liaison, South Sudanese Diaspora Europe and United Kingdom

Protocol Note

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Email: press.europe@splm-io.org

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