Former First Vice President Riek Machar on Monday denied leading the White Army, telling the special court in Juba that he does not command the armed youth group accused of taking part in the March 2025 attack on a military garrison in Nasir, Upper Nile State.
Presenting his defence statement during the 124th session of the trial on Monday, Machar, the fifth accused in the case, described the White Army as a loosely organised, community-based armed youth group associated particularly with Nuer communities in parts of Upper Nile and Jonglei states.
“The charge that I lead armed civilians is false. The charge that armed civilians are only in Nuer areas is also false,” Machar told the court.
The 74-year-old leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) said the movement had no political or military control over the White Army, describing its members as ordinary civilians, most of them young people.
White Army structure
“I first want to explain what is referred to as the White Army. The White Army are ordinary civilians, the majority of whom are youths. I refer to these civilians as youth. They sometimes include women who accompany them and act as ICRC if one of them is wounded,” Machar said.
He said the White Army was neither commanded nor supported by the SPLM/A-IO, describing its members as civilians who take up weapons to defend their land rather than as a militarily trained force.
“They are armed with firearms and spears,” he said.
“They are not militarily trained. Once they feel the need to take up arms, spears or any other object for fighting when fighting arises, they come from their homes or towns. They have no barracks and are not registered in any SPLA-IO document.”
Machar denied that the White Army received military support or food supplies from the SPLM/A-IO.
“They don’t get any military support from the SPLM-IO, nor do they get food supplies from the SPLA-IO. They organise themselves on their own, from their clans or at lower levels under headmen, sub-chiefs and paramount chiefs,” he said.
“They loosely associate on some matters with their tribesmen at each level. They are volunteer warriors at each of those levels mentioned. They elect and remove their leaders, mostly yearly or at any time they wish.”
Machar said the White Army should not be classified as a militia because its organizational structure doesn’t fit that definition. He described its members instead as traditional African village warriors whose weapons had become more advanced because of the proliferation of modern small arms.
“They are not sponsored by the SPLA-IO. They are therefore unlike Dutkubeny and Mathiang Anyoor. They may have similarities with Gelweng, Titweng or Monyemiji and Lokoya youth, or various age sets of the Murle,” he said.
“Any male youth from 18 years of age could be elected as their leader by the Nuer youths. They are the largest part of the Nuer community. Fighting them means fighting the community of that area; they are the community.”
Machar said this was why the British had taken more than 30 years to establish an administration in Nuer territory, adding that they eventually abandoned the use of force and resorted to peaceful means.
The court adjourned the hearing until Wednesday, October 28, 2026, when Machar is expected to continue his defence testimony.
Charges and allegations
Machar and his seven co-defendants face charges of murder, conspiracy, terrorism, treason, destruction of public property and crimes against humanity.
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.
Prosecutors allege that SPLA-IO forces allied with the White Army killed 257 South Sudan People’s Defence Forces soldiers, including commander Gen. David Majur Dak, and destroyed or captured military equipment worth about $58 million during the March 2025 attack on the Nasir military garrison.
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