Riek Machar, once a bush rebel leader and now South Sudan’s First Vice President, is at the center of renewed tensions with his rival, President Salva Kiir, following reports of his house arrest. This marks a new chapter in their longstanding and turbulent relationship, which was defined by a brutal civil war that broke out in 2013.
The conflict, which led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, was fueled by ethnic divisions, with Kiir leading Dinka forces and Machar commanding Nuer fighters. Despite a peace deal in 2018, their rivalry has continued to disrupt South Sudan’s progress, and the ethnic rifts that were exposed during the war have persisted, triggering concerns over a possible resurgence of conflict.
Recently, violence flared in Upper Nile State, with South Sudanese troops clashing with the White Army, a predominantly Nuer militia that had fought alongside Machar’s forces during the war. The government has accused Machar’s SPLM-IO party of cooperating with the militia, echoing the tensions that led to Machar’s sacking as vice president in 2013. However, the SPLM-IO has denied maintaining ties with the White Army.
Between 2013 and 2018, fighting between Machar’s and Kiir’s forces devastated the country, shutting down oil fields, displacing a third of the population, and claiming more than 400,000 lives.
Fighting for Independence
Machar’s role in South Sudan’s fight for independence from Sudan has always been controversial. In 1991, a falling out with John Garang, leader of the SPLA rebel movement, led Machar to leave his post. That same year, he was blamed for an ethnic massacre of Dinka people in Bor, carried out by Nuer fighters loyal to him.
Machar’s decision to sign the 1997 Khartoum peace accord with the Sudanese government further isolated him from some of his former rebel allies. The accord granted him the position of vice president of Sudan, a role that many saw as a betrayal of the South’s cause. However, Machar rejoined the SPLA in 2002 and, after the 2005 peace deal, which granted the South greater autonomy, he became vice president of South Sudan, a position he held until his dismissal in 2013.
Dismissal and Return to War
Machar’s dismissal as vice president in 2013 was one of the key factors that ignited the civil war. Kiir accused Machar of attempting a coup, but Machar denied the allegations, and an African Union Commission of Inquiry found no evidence to support the coup claims. Despite several peace attempts, including a 2015 agreement that briefly halted hostilities, the war continued until a final peace deal was struck in 2018. Machar returned to Juba in 2016, but the fragile truce collapsed soon after.
When the civil war officially ended, Machar expressed a willingness to reconcile. Sworn in as vice president in 2020, he pledged to work collectively to alleviate the suffering of the South Sudanese people.
Personal Background and Legacy
Machar trained as an engineer at the University of Khartoum and later earned a PhD from the University of Bradford in England. His life has been marked by personal tragedy, including the death of his first wife, British aid worker Emma McCune, in a car crash in 1993. His second wife, Angelina Teny, has held significant political roles, including as South Sudan’s defense minister and, in 2023, the interior minister.
To bolster his status as a leader of the Nuer, South Sudan’s second-largest ethnic group, Machar keeps a ceremonial stick, or “dang,” once carried by the famous Nuer prophet Ngundeng Bong. This stick, made from tamarind wood and decorated with copper wire, was looted by British colonial troops but returned to South Sudan in 2009 by British academic Douglas Johnson.
As South Sudan continues to grapple with political and ethnic divisions, Machar remains a central figure in the country’s ongoing struggle for stability and unity.