Riek Machar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Riek Machar
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Machar in 2012
|
|
| 1st & 4th First Vice President of South Sudan | |
| Assumed office 21 February 2020 |
|
| President | Salva Kiir Mayardit |
| Preceded by | Taban Deng Gai |
| In office 26 April 2016 – 23 July 2016 |
|
| President | Salva Kiir Mayardit |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Taban Deng Gai |
| 1st Vice President of South Sudan | |
| In office 9 July 2011 – 23 July 2013 |
|
| President | Salva Kiir Mayardit |
| Preceded by | Himself (as Vice President of Southern Sudan) |
| Succeeded by | James Wani Igga |
| 2nd Vice President of Southern Sudan | |
| In office 11 August 2005 – 9 July 2011 |
|
| President | Salva Kiir Mayardit |
| Preceded by | Salva Kiir Mayardit |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as Vice President of South Sudan) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon
26 November 1952 Leer, Upper Nile, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (now South Sudan) |
| Nationality | South Sudanese |
| Political party | Sudan People's Liberation Movement |
| Other political affiliations |
Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition |
| Spouses |
Emma McCune
(m. 1991; died 1993)Angelina Teny |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | University of Khartoum University of Bradford |
| Nickname | SENNAR |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | SPLA, SPLA-Nasir, SPLA-IO |
| Battles/wars | Second Sudanese Civil War South Sudanese Civil War |
Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon (born 26 November 1952) is a South Sudanese politician. He has served as the First Vice President of South Sudan since 2020. He is a member of the Nuer ethnic group.
Machar studied engineering at Khartoum University and the University of Bradford. In 1984, he joined the Sudanese People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLM/A). This was a rebel group fighting for southern independence during the Second Sudanese Civil War.
He later had disagreements with the SPLM/A leader, John Garang. Machar left the group in 1991 and started his own group called SPLA-Nasir. During this time, his forces were involved in serious conflicts that affected many Dinka civilians. Over the years, Machar led several different groups before rejoining the SPLM/A in 2002.
After the Second Sudanese Civil War ended in 2005, Machar became Vice President of the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region. This was under Salva Kiir Mayardit as President. When South Sudan became independent in 2011, Machar became Vice President of the new country, with Kiir as President.
Contents
Riek Machar's Political Journey
In February 2020, Riek Machar was sworn in again as the First Vice President. This happened after a new peace agreement with Salva Kiir, who is the current President of South Sudan. Machar also leads a group called SPLM-IO (Sudan People's Liberation Movement-In Opposition). This group was formed in 2014 after a war started in 2013, and it has often been against President Kiir.
Early Life and Education
Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon was born in Leer, Unity State, on 26 November 1952. He was the 27th son of a chief from Ayod and Leer. He grew up as a member of the Presbyterian church. Machar belongs to the Dok section of the Nuer Bentiu people.
He trained to be an engineer at Khartoum University. Later, he earned a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Bradford in 1984.
Machar married Emma McCune, a British aid worker. She sadly passed away in a car accident in Nairobi in 1993. His second wife, Angelina Teny, is also a well-known politician in South Sudan. She served as the state minister of Energy and Mining from 2005 to 2010.
Joining the Rebel Movement
Machar became a rebel leader with the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLM/A) in 1984. This group was led by John Garang. Machar and Garang had different ideas about what they were fighting for. Garang wanted a united, democratic Sudan, while Machar wanted a completely independent South Sudan.
In August 1991, Riek Machar, Lam Akol, and Gordon Kong announced that John Garang had been removed from the SPLM. This new group was called the SPLM/A-Nasir faction. During this time, Machar's group was involved in conflicts that caused many deaths and led to a severe famine in 1993.
Later, in 1993, other groups joined Machar's movement, and it was renamed SPLA-United. In 1994, his movement became known as the South Sudan Independence Movement/Army (SSIM/A). This group aimed for South Sudan's independence.
In 1996, Machar signed a Political Charter and, in 1997, the Khartoum Peace Agreement with the government of Sudan. Under this agreement, he worked with Omar el-Bashir, who was the President of Sudan. He also became the commander of the South Sudan Defense Force (SSDF).
Returning to the SPLM
Over time, there were disagreements between Machar's SSDF and other groups. Machar eventually resigned from the government of Sudan in 2000. He then formed a new group called the Sudan People's Defense Forces/Democratic Front (SPDF).
In January 2002, he signed an agreement with John Garang to combine the SPDF with the SPLA. This brought him back into the main SPLA group.
The civil war ended in January 2005. In August of that year, Machar became Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan. When South Sudan gained its independence in July 2011, he was appointed the first vice president of the new country. On 15 July 2011, Machar represented South Sudan when its flag was raised at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
South Sudan's Politics
.jpg)
After South Sudan became independent in 2011, Machar served as the country's vice president. In 2012, he publicly apologized for his role in the past conflicts, hoping to lead the SPLM.
By February 2013, Machar openly said he wanted to challenge President Kiir. In July 2013, he and the entire cabinet were removed from office. Machar believed this was a step towards a dictatorship, which then led to the South Sudanese Civil War.
Return and Later Events
In late August 2015, a peace agreement was signed between the government and Machar's rebel group. This agreement meant Riek Machar would become vice president again. In April 2016, as part of the peace deal, Machar returned to Juba and was sworn in. However, he had to leave the capital after new fighting broke out in July 2016.
After 2017, Machar was under house arrest in South Africa for a period. This house arrest was lifted in March 2018. Machar returned to Juba in October 2018 after a peace deal was signed in September 2018. He was appointed First Vice President of South Sudan on 22 February 2020, as part of a new government aimed at national unity.
In 2021, he suggested that the 2023 general election in South Sudan might be delayed.
Recent Events
According to his party, SPLM-IO, on 26 March 2025, Machar and his wife, Angelina Teny, were placed under house arrest in Juba. Their guards were disarmed. His party stated that the 2018 peace agreement with the government was no longer valid because of this. On 28 March, the South Sudanese government confirmed Machar was under house arrest.
The exact reasons for his house arrest were not publicly known. However, he was suspected of supporting a group called the Nuer White Army. This group had recently attacked a military base. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has expressed concern that this situation could lead the country back into civil war.
See also
In Spanish: Riek Machar para niños
- Dinka-Nuer conflict
