Former First Vice President Riek Machar has denied ordering the late Maj. Gen. David Majur Dak to surrender during fighting in Nasir in March 2025, saying he had instead tried to secure the general’s safe evacuation from the area.
Speaking during the 126th session of his trial on Monday, Machar rejected the allegation as politically motivated, insisting that he had made efforts to ensure Majur Dak was evacuated safely after fighting broke out in Nasir on March 3, 2025.
“I was also accused of having told the late Gen. David Majur Dak to surrender. This is not true, since the fighting started in Nasir on 3 March 2025, and following a meeting of the Presidency, I did my best to ensure that Gen. David Majur Dak was evacuated peacefully,” Machar said.
He said he could understand those who made the allegation without knowing the facts but accused those who knew about his efforts of acting out of political motives.
“I will excuse those who said I asked him to surrender if they were not aware of the facts. However, those who knew the facts and the efforts I made, but still made such statements against me, were politically motivated,” he said.
White Army command
Machar also denied commanding the White Army and said Regina Joseph Kaba, whom he identified as the acting chairperson of the SPLA-IO, does not command the armed youth group.
He insisted that neither he nor Kaba exercised command over the White Army, which prosecutors accuse of fighting alongside SPLA-IO forces during the March 2025 attack on the Nasir military garrison.
“There are no parallel governments and no two states. Finally, I would re-emphasize that I am not a commander of the so-called White Army, as I have given reasons,” Machar said.
He further maintained that Kaba, whom he identified as acting SPLA-IO chairperson, is not the commander of the armed youth group.
“Even the person who is acting as chairperson, Regina Joseph Kaba, is not the commander of the White Army,” he said.
Machar’s identification of Kaba as acting SPLM-IO chairperson comes amid a leadership dispute with Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, who has also claimed authority to lead the opposition movement in his absence.
Nasir survivors
Machar also denied allegations that he and local youths had held between 170 and 176 survivors of the Nasir incident hostage.
He said the survivors were evacuated from the area to Juba following his intervention.
“I was also accused of holding 170 or 176 survivors of the Nasir incident hostage, together with the youths. The same statement was also echoed by Gen. Paul Nang, the then Chief of Defence Forces. It was through my intervention that they were evacuated from the area to Juba,” Machar said.
Machar cited remarks allegedly made by former Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel during the burial of Maj. Gen. David Majur Dak on March 19, 2025, as part of his defence.
He quoted Bol Mel as calling for armed groups and civilians carrying weapons to leave the corridors around Nasir, regardless of whether they belonged to the SPLA-IO or government security forces.
“I want to be honest, we are asking for the Nasir corridors to be cleared of armed groups, to be cleared of armed civilians, whether they are SPLA-IO or our security organs have the capacity to monitor anyone moving with weapon,” Machar quoted Bol Mel as saying.
Machar also cited Bol Mel’s appeal to the Chief of Defence Forces and other senior military officers to facilitate the immediate return of government troops to Nasir.
He further referred to remarks attributed to Bol Mel in which he reportedly proposed an investigation into the Nasir incident to establish accountability for all parties involved.
According to Machar, Bol Mel called for the investigation to begin with political parties and their respective representatives in the Presidency, with the Ministry of Justice leading the process.
Machar cited the remarks in support of his account of the events surrounding the Nasir fighting and the allegations made against him.
Background to SSPDF presence
Machar told the court that Nasir town had been deserted by its residents since May 2014, before the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) entered the area.
He said that after entering the town, government forces established a fortified military garrison surrounded by barbed wire at Wec-Yar-Adiu, about three kilometres from Nasir town.
According to Machar, residents had fled to neighbouring Ethiopia or sought refuge in rural areas of Nasir and Ulang counties.
After years of conflict, the parties signed a peace agreement and formed the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity on February 22, 2020.
Under the power-sharing arrangements, the position of Nasir county commissioner was allocated to the SPLM-IO.
The court adjourned the proceedings until Friday, November 6, 2026, when Machar is expected to continue presenting his defence.
Charges and allegations
Machar and seven co-defendants 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 SSPDF soldiers, including their commander, Gen. David Majur Dak, during the March 2025 attack on the Nasir military garrison. They also allege that military equipment worth about $58 million was destroyed or captured.
Machar is under house arrest, while the other defendants are being held at National Security Service facilities in Juba.
The co-defendants are Puot Kang Chol, Mam Pal Dhuor, Gatwech Lam Puoch, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, Camilo Gatmai Kel, Mading Yak Riek and Dominic Gatgok Riek.
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