One of suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar’s co-accused on Wednesday denied allegations that the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) orchestrated the attack on the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) garrison in Nasir County, Upper Nile State, in March 2025.
The denial comes after the prosecution and South African digital forensic expert Ratlhogo Peter Calvin Rafadi previously alleged that the fourth accused, Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, failed to inform the SSPDF command about an alleged attack by armed youth and SPLA-IO forces.
Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, acting chief of staff of SPLA-IO and fourth accused in ongoing Nasir incident trial, rejected the prosecution’s assertion that SPLA-IO forces were responsible for the assault, insisting that the opposition movement neither planned nor executed the attack.
“That I failed to inform SSPDF command about the attack by the armed youth and SPLA-IO. About this allegation. Let me make it clear again that the SPLA-IO did not participate in the attack on Wec-yar-Adiu garrison in Nasir,” Lam said.
Gen. Duop, who doubles as the SSPDF Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, said he is part of the army command and regularly receives operational reports from division commanders alongside the Chief of Defence Forces, including reports from the late Maj. Gen. David Majur Dak.
“On the issue of informing SSPDF command about an attack on SSPDF garrison in Wec-yar-Adiu, in fact, who are those SSPDF command?” he asked, stating: “To me, there is no difference between SSPDF command and myself; we are the same command that receives field reports from our commanders in their divisions whenever there is security tension in any of the commands.”
Gen. Duop maintained that the local armed youth, popularly known as the White Army, are armed civilians who operate independently and are not under the command of SPLA-IO.
“Besides the division commanders, we also get security reports through our Military Intelligence officers in charge of the divisions,” he said. “On the situation in Nasir, we were all informed by late Major Gen. David Majur Dak and the intelligence officer-in-charge. Above all, civilians armed or not armed are not under the command of SPLA-IO.”
Regarding allegations that he was involved in procuring arms on 10 December 2024, Gen. Duop acknowledged that Lt. Col. Marko had attempted to sell him 500 rounds of PKM machine gun ammunition for personal use.
However, he told the court that he declined the offer, arguing that the SPLA Act prohibits him from acquiring arms or ammunition outside the military’s established procedures.
“Yes, there was an attempt from Lt. Col. Marko to sell me 500 rounds of PKM Machine gun for my personal weapon use, but I did not buy the ammunition, for I don’t need them, as per section 78, (C) (F) of SPLA Rules and Regulations, 2009,” he said.
He told the court that the issues cited by the prosecution and Prosecution Witness No. 13, digital forensic expert Ratlhogo Peter Calvin Rafadi, had no link to the Nasir incident.
The court then adjourned the session until 3 August for the fourth accused, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, the SSPDF deputy chief of defense forces, to continue his defense statements in court.
The seven co-accused are Puot Kang Chuol, 40; Mam Pal Dhuor, 37; Gatwech Lam Puohc, 67; Lt Gen Gabriel Duop Lam, 53; Camilo Gatmai Kel, 47; Mading Yak Riek, 45; and Dominic Gatgok Riek, 27.
They face charges including murder, conspiracy, terrorism, treason, destruction of public property and crimes against humanity.
Prosecutors allege that SPLA-IO forces allied with the White Army killed 257 South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) soldiers, including commander Gen David Majur Dak, during an attack on the Nasir military garrison in March 2025. They also allege that military equipment worth about 58 million US dollars was destroyed or seized.
The defendants deny the charges.
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