Suspended Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chuol on Monday described his ongoing trial as politically and tribally motivated, accusing prosecutors of using judicial proceedings to pursue objectives beyond the law.
Speaking during the 82nd session of the special court in Juba’s Freedom Hall, Kang, the first accused, told the court that the charges against him were part of what he described as a broader political campaign being pursued through the judiciary to conceal underlying political motives linked to the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).
He said the proceedings amounted to a political and tribal campaign being conducted through the courts to create the appearance of a lawful judicial process.
Kang further alleged that members of President Salva Kiir’s faction within the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity had pressured him to publicly renounce his party, the SPLM IO, and its leader, First Vice President Riek Machar, in exchange for his release, an offer he said he rejected.
He told the court that the eight accused, including himself, were not being prosecuted for any criminal conduct but because they had refused to submit to political demands aimed at undermining the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R ARCSS), which he said contained reform provisions perceived as threatening by those in power.
Kang said the proceedings constitute political prosecution and alleged that state security institutions in Juba were being used to target opposition figures.
He denied any involvement in the March 2025 attack on a South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) base in Nasir, Upper Nile State, saying he had no connection to the youth who carried out the assault.
He added that statements made by the late White Army leader, Tor Gille Thoan, had already explained the reasons behind the conflict between the group and the SSPDF in Nasir.
Kang also referred to Stephen Par Kuol, the minister of peacebuilding and a member of the SPLM IO political bureau, saying he was detained at the National Security Service’s Blue House facility on the same day as other SPLM IO officials before being released the following morning.
Kang suggested that Par’s release followed a change in position after a meeting at the detention facility and questioned whether it reflected unequal treatment based on political affiliation.
He said the situation left opposition figures with only two choices: submit to political demands and secure their release, or face arrest and prosecution. Kang added that he and his co-accused had chosen to endure the legal process rather than yield to political pressure.
Presiding Judge James Alala Deng adjourned the proceedings until June 3, when Kang is expected to face further questioning by the bench.
Kang is among eight defendants facing charges including treason, crimes against humanity, murder, terrorism and destruction of property in connection with the March 2025 attack on the SSPDF base in Nasir.
The other defendants are suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, Mam Pal Dhuor, Gatwech Lam Puoch, Lieutenant General Gabriel Duop Lam, Camilo Gatmai Kel, Mading Yak Riek and Dominic Gatgok Riek.
Machar remains under house arrest, while the remaining accused are being held by the National Security Service.
Prosecutors allege that Sudan People’s Liberation Army IO forces, allied with the White Army militia, killed 257 SSPDF soldiers, including commander David Majur Dak, and destroyed or seized military equipment worth approximately $58 million during the attack.
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