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JUBA: The criminal trial of the South Sudanese opposition figure Riek Machar began in the capital on Monday, with the country’s suspended vice president appearing in a cage alongside his co-accused.
It was the first time Machar, who has been under house arrest since March, had been seen in public.
President Salva Kiir suspended Machar as his deputy earlier this month after justice authorities said Machar faced criminal charges for his alleged role in an attack on a garrison of government troops earlier this year.
In addition to treason, Machar and seven others face charges of murder, conspiracy, terrorism, destruction of public property and military assets and crimes against humanity.
The trial by a special court in Juba, the capital, was being broadcast on national television.
In opening remarks, a lawyer for Machar opposed the trial by what he described as “an incompetent court” that lacks jurisdiction.
The defense s arguing that Machar cannot be criminally charged without hurting the spirit of a 2018 peace deal between Machar and Kiir to end a deadly civil war that caused an estimated 400,000 people. Defense attorneys say that the agreement effectively governs South Sudan, which has been on the brink of a return to full-blown war as government forces battle armed groups believed to be loyal to Machar.
Both Kiir and Machar were leaders of the rebel movement that secured South Sudan’s independence from Sudan in 2011. They are from rival ethnic groups: Kiir is from the Dinka, the largest, and Machar is from the Nuer, the second-largest.
Analysts say Machar and Kiir don’t see eye to eye even as they work together, and their feud has grown over the years as Machar waits his turn to become president and Kiir persists in the presidency.
Presidential elections have been repeatedly postponed.