The Trial of South Sudan’s Vice President Riek Machar

In this episode of The Horn , Alan is joined by Edmund Yakani, executive director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, to discuss the trial of South Sudan’s first vice president and former rebel leader Riek Machar. They trace Machar’s rise and how he became a central, polarising figure in South Sudanese politics. They unpack the charges against Machar over his alleged role in a March 2025 attack on an army base in Nasir. They discuss the timing of the proceedings as South Sudanese elite jockey over the eventual succession of President Salva Kiir amid mounting speculation over his health. They also explore what to expect from the trial, what its outcome could mean for the risk of deepening violence and for the 2018 peace deal, and whether there remains a viable path to dialogue among South Sudan’s elites to ease tensions. For more, check out our Analyst’s Notebook “ Criminal Charges against South Sudan’s Vice President Threaten New Twist in Conflict ”, our recent episode “ As South Sudan Quakes, an Heir Apparent Rises ”, and our briefing “ Succession Fever Deepens South Sudan’s Malaise ”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can listen to The Trial of South Sudan’s Vice President Riek Machar online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Trial of South Sudan’s Vice President Riek Machar is an episode from The Horn by International Crisis Group.

This episode is 33:54 long.

This episode was published on Oct 30, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Horn when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.