South Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance (SSFDA)

Office of the Chairman
Geneva / Nairobi / Juba
Communique – 13 September 2025

Weaponized Justice vs. ICC Crimes

President Salva Kiir Must Answer for War Crimes, Not Stage Show Trials

The South Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance (SSFDA) categorically rejects the latest sham judicial proceedings initiated by President Salva Kiir against opposition leaders, including Dr. Riek Machar. This is not justice but the weaponization of the courts for political survival.

While Kiir parades his rivals in kangaroo courts, his own regime stands credibly accused of grave breaches of international humanitarian law and crimes against humanity. South Sudan cannot accept a war criminal presiding as judge and jury over those who resist his rule.

Documented Atrocities Committed by the Kiir Regime

1. Bombing of Civilian Hospitals and Aid Facilities

• MSF Hospital, Old Fangak (2025): Drone and aerial strikes destroyed a protected medical facility, in breach of the Geneva Conventions [MSF Situation Reports, 2025].

• Bentiu & Leer (2014–2015): Government soldiers stormed hospitals, killing patients and medical staff; documented by the UN Human Rights Council [UNMISS Report, 2015].

2. Indiscriminate Aerial and Drone Strikes

• 2023–2025: UAE-supplied drones operated from Paloich and Adariel by RSF/SSPDF targeted civilian villages in Upper Nile and Jonglei [Human Rights Watch, 2024; UN Panel of Experts, 2024].

• These deliberate attacks on civilians constitute war crimes under Article 8 of the Rome Statute.

3. Massacres and Ethnic Targeting

• Juba, December 2013: Thousands of Nuer civilians massacred in door-to-door killings. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch described these as crimes against humanity [AI Report, 2014; HRW, “South Sudan’s New War,” 2014].

• Malakal (2016): Government forces attacked a UNMISS protection site, killing at least 30 and burning shelters [UNMISS, 2016; HRW Press Release, 2016].

4. Systematic Sexual Violence

• 2014–present: The UN documented government forces using rape as a weapon of war, including gang rapes of women and girls as young as 12 [UN Human Rights Council, 2015; UNMISS/OHCHR Joint Report, 2016].

• Survivors testified soldiers were ordered to “cleanse communities” through sexual violence.

5. Targeted Assassinations and Enforced Disappearances

• Civil society leaders, opposition figures, and journalists have been systematically targeted by “unknown gunmen” linked to Kiir’s NSS and Military Intelligence [Amnesty International, 2017; UN Panel of Experts, 2019].

• Killings and disappearances extend beyond South Sudanese borders into exile communities [HRW, 2020].

The Hypocrisy of Weaponized Justice

The same president responsible for:

• half a million deaths,

• millions displaced,

• systematic war crimes,

now dares to put political opponents on trial for fabricated charges. This grotesque inversion of justice cannot stand.

South Sudan cannot allow a war criminal to preside over sham trials.

Call for International Action

1. Immediate ICC Referral:
   SSFDA calls on the United Nations Security Council and the African Union to refer Salva Kiir and his senior leadership to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

2. Independent Legal Oversight:
   We urge the deployment of an international legal monitoring mission to Juba to document violations of due process and protect the rights of accused persons.

3. Targeted Sanctions Expansion:
   The UN and regional bodies must expand sanctions on Kiir’s inner circle, including those supplying drones, financing RSF operations, and commanding Ugandan troops inside South Sudan.

Conclusion

This is not only about Dr. Riek Machar or any individual opposition figure. It is about the principle of justice for the people of South Sudan.

Salva Kiir has transformed the judiciary into a blunt weapon against rivals while his own record belongs in The Hague. Justice cannot be weaponized at home while war crimes are ignored abroad.

The SSFDA will continue to document, expose, and resist this perversion of justice. The people of South Sudan deserve accountability, dignity, and the rule of law—not show trials staged by the guilty.

The people of South Sudan deserve peace, dignity, and justice—not dictatorship dressed in the robes of law.

Samuel Mut Gai Dhap

Chairman and Commander-in-Chief
South Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance (SSFDA)

Protocol Note

All official communications, meeting requests, or correspondence intended for the Chairman or SSFDA leadership should be coordinated through the SSFDA Press Office:

Email: pressoffice@ssfda.org

Secure Communications: Signal is the preferred secure channel for confidential or sensitive exchanges. Please initiate coordination via the Press Office.

The Press Office also facilitates diplomatic briefings, delegation meetings, and documentation exchange upon request.

Reference Notes (for international distribution)

• Amnesty International (2014). South Sudan: Juba Killings.

• Human Rights Watch (2014). South Sudan’s New War: Abuses by Government and Opposition Forces.

• UNMISS/OHCHR (2015, 2016). Reports on Human Rights Violations.

• UNMISS (2016). Attack on Malakal Protection of Civilians Site.

• HRW (2016). South Sudan: Government Forces Attack UN Base.

• Amnesty International (2017). South Sudan: Dismantling Dissent.

• UN Panel of Experts on South Sudan (2019, 2024).

• MSF Situation Reports (2025).