A South Sudanese prophet – as the story goes – wielded a sacred stick during a tribal battle in 1878 and summoned a deadly thunderbolt that struck down rival fighters.

That stick is known as Ngundeng Bong’s dang and not only has its reputation as a magical and dangerous weapon lived on, but it also plays a role in the latest cycle of violence in the world’s youngest nation.

The dang has emerged as a contentious relic in the quarrel between South Sudan President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar, who took ownership of the stick years ago.

Dr Machar is believed by his followers to be the gap-toothed, left-handed man who would become president in fulfillment of Ngundeng’s prophecy.

While that sustains Machar’s struggle, it also makes him a target for his opponents. Kiir and Machar are from different ethnic groups. Kiir is Dinka, the country’s largest group, while Machar – like Ngundeng – is Nuer, the second largest.

Fighting exploded along ethnic lines when Kiir and Machar disagreed in 2013.

Kiir claimed Machar was plotting a coup. Machar then launched a rebellion that became a deadly civil war in which an estimated 400,000 people were killed.

Machar returned as Kiir’s deputy following a 2018 peace deal that has collapsed.

• An AP report