South Sudan's opposition called Monday for an armed mobilisation to carry out "regime change" in response to plans to put its leader on trial for treason and crimes against humanity.
A fragile power-sharing deal between President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival, Riek Machar, has been unravelling for months, threatening to return the young nation to a civil war that left 400,000 dead in the 2010s.
On Thursday, Machar was charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity and stripped of his position as first vice-president in the unity government, having already spent months under house arrest.
He was accused of ordering an ethnic militia's attack on a military base in March that the government said killed more than 250 soldiers.
Machar's faction denies the charges and says they are part of Kiir's efforts to sideline the opposition and consolidate power.
"The current regime... is a setup of dictatorship, peace spoilers and state capture that is holding power illegally and by violence," his party said in a statement, signed by acting chairman Oyet Nathaniel Pierino and shared on social media.
The party and its armed forces "shall work to effect in the Republic of South Sudan a regime change", the statement said, calling on all supporters "to report for National Service in defence of the citizens and the country".
- 'Red warning' -
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but was quickly plunged into a devastating conflict between Kiir and Machar.
The five-year war ended with a peace deal in 2018 but attempts by the international community to ensure a democratic transition have failed.
Elections due to have taken place in December 2024 were again postponed to 2026 and the two sides have not merged their armed forces.
Daniel Akech, a senior analyst on South Sudan for the International Crisis Group, said Monday's mobilisation call was not a major event in itself since Machar's supporters were already mobilised.
"It's more of a political statement," he told AFP, adding that Machar's faction also lacked the "capacity" to seriously challenge the government.
But it serves as a "red warning" to global partners who thought the power-sharing deal could still be salvaged, he said.
- 'Waging war' -
The attack on the military base in March took place in Upper Nile State, one of Machar's strongholds, by a loose band of fighters from his ethnic Nuer community known as the White Army.
But Machar's supporters dismiss the charges against him and blame the government for destroying the peace deal.
The government "has been arresting senior members of the (opposition). It has been waging war against us," Pal Mai Deng, a spokesman for Machar's faction, told AFP.
With Machar "being forced to appear before a kangaroo court and imposing charges against him, (it) is a clear indication that the SPLM-IG has chosen instability over peace," he added.
The government's information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan called in a statement on "the parties to work together to resolve political deadlocks, reduce violence and recommit to the full implementation of the" power-sharing agreement.
