JUBA, The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) has denounced what it calls politically and tribally motivated “court proceedings” in Juba against First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon and other party leaders, according to a statement seen by The Juba Mirror News Desk, Oct. 7, 2025.

In the statement, issued through its National Committee on Foreign Relations, the SPLM-IO reiterated its “categorical rejection” of the ongoing trial, describing it as a “witch-hunt” targeting perceived opponents of President Salva Kiir Mayardit. The group said the proceedings undermine the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), the peace deal that established the current unity government.

The SPLM-IO accused the government of “plundering the law and using it as a weapon” to suppress political dissent, warning that the actions could plunge the country back into instability. “By unilaterally targeting Dr. Riek Machar, a principal signatory of the R-ARCSS, the regime has undermined the peace accord and its commitment to reconciliation,” the statement read.
The opposition group further argued that the court proceedings violate the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan, which guarantees judicial independence and prohibits political interference in the judiciary. “What is happening in Juba is not a judicial process but political persecution,” the statement said, alleging that the trial selectively targets members of one ethnic group.
The SPLM-IO also questioned the court’s jurisdiction and legitimacy, describing it as “a mockery of justice.” The statement claimed that the Chief Justice downgraded Supreme Court judges to serve as High Court judges in violation of Articles 126 and 128 of the Transitional Constitution. The group labeled the process a “kangaroo court.”

According to the SPLM-IO, the alleged objectives of the trial are to eliminate Machar as a political rival, derail peace implementation, block democratic elections, and reignite ethnic divisions. The statement warned that the case “will go down in history as the court that killed the peace.”

The group demanded that the trial be “immediately suspended and stopped” and called for the “unconditional release” of Machar and all detained SPLM-IO leaders.

The SPLM-IO also urged the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), the African Union, the United Nations, and the Troika nations — the United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway — to take decisive action to prevent what it described as “the total collapse and imminent disintegration of South Sudan.”

“The international community must not remain silent; silence in the face of injustice is complicity,” the statement said. “The SPLM-IO will continue to stand firm in the fight for freedom, justice, and peace for the people of South Sudan.”