South Sudan’s suspended petroleum minister Puot Kang has accused top allies of President Salva Kiir of orchestrating the March 3–4 attack on the Nasir garrison, which killed SSPDF General David Majur Dak and 257 soldiers.
Kang, the first accused to testify during the court’s 80th session at Freedom Hall on Friday, said the events that triggered the violence in Nasir last year, as well as his arrest and the wider conflict, were “squarely a responsibility of our accusers.”
“It is important to inform this honorable special court and the people of South Sudan that the Nasir incident, our arrest and subsequent war that is going on in South Sudan is squarely a responsibility of our accusers,” he told the court.
Kang named several senior government officials he alleged were involved in planning the attack, including Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, former vice president; Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, cabinet minister; Gen. Chol Thon Balok, defence minister; Justice Minister Michael Makuei Lueth; and Gen. Paul Ngang Majok, former chief of defence forces.
He alleged the officials pushed for the deployment of non-unified forces to Nasir instead of the Necessary Unified Forces agreed under the Joint Defence Board (JDB), and ordered bombardments of civilian areas in Nyirol County in Jonglei State, as well as Nasir and Ulang counties in Upper Nile State in February 2025.
“They made inflammatory statements against the R-ARCSS [Revitalised Agreement], the SPLM/A-IO, those of us that are arrested and the Nuer community at large,” Kang said, referring to remarks he attributed to Dr. Martin Elias and Michael Makuei, who he said described some Nuer areas as a “hostile” community.
Kang, a senior SPLM-IO official, argued that such statements “justified the reasons” why the accused, most of whom are from the Nuer community, are standing trial, adding that the SPLM-IO leadership is multi-ethnic.
He denied any involvement in planning the attack on the SSPDF garrison in Nasir.
“We, the eight accused before the court or 21 of us, have never and ever agreed to attack the SSPDF garrison in Nasir because we are for peace and we stand by it,” he said.
He added that the accused had never met, either physically or virtually, to plan any action against the implementation of the revitalised peace agreement, arguing that prosecutors had failed to present documentary evidence such as meeting minutes to prove coordination.
“We have never met physically or virtually or on phone to discuss any agenda that is against the implementation or violation of the agreement,” he said.
Prosecutors have not yet responded to the allegations in court.
Judge James Alala Deng adjourned the hearing until Monday, May 25, when the court is expected to continue examining Kang.
Kang is one of eight defendants facing charges including treason, crimes against humanity, murder, terrorism and destruction of property over the March 2025 attack on a South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) base in Nasir, Upper Nile State.
The co-defendants are suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, Mam Pal Dhuor, Gatwech Lam Puoch, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, Camilo Gatmai Kel, Mading Yak Riek and Dominic Gatgok Riek.
Machar remains under house arrest, while the other accused are being held by the National Security Service (NSS).
Prosecutors allege that SPLA-IO forces allied with the White Army militia killed 257 SSPDF soldiers, including commander David Majur Dak, and destroyed or seized military equipment worth about $58 million during the attack.
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