Che Guevara vs Riek Machar

Guevara joined Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement, landing in Cuba aboard the Granma. He became a key guerrilla commander, leading troops in the Battle of Santa Clara, which helped overthrow Fulgencio Batista's regime.

Guevara was appointed Minister of Industries in Cuba, where he implemented radical economic policies, including nationalization and central planning. His efforts to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on sugar largely failed.

Guevara led a small Cuban force to support the Simba rebellion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The campaign was unsuccessful due to poor logistics, lack of local support, and superior opposition forces, leading to his withdrawal.

Guevara was captured by Bolivian forces, trained and advised by the CIA, while leading a guerrilla insurgency. He was executed the next day in La Higuera. His death turned him into a global icon of revolutionary struggle.

Riek Machar was appointed Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. He served alongside President Salva Kiir in the lead-up to independence.

After being accused of plotting a coup, Riek Machar fled to the bush and formed the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO). He led a rebellion against President Salva Kiir's government, sparking the South Sudanese Civil War.

Riek Machar returned to Juba and was sworn in as First Vice President of South Sudan as part of the Revitalized Peace Agreement. The unity government aimed to end the civil war, but implementation remained fragile.