South Sudan’s suspended petroleum minister, Puot Kang Chuol, the first accused on trial, told the special court in Juba on Monday that the charges against him and his co-accused lack sufficient evidence.
Responding to the prosecution during the 73rd session at Freedom Hall, Kang said prosecutors had failed to present “cogent, credible and legally sufficient evidence” to sustain the case.
“Over this extended period, the prosecution has taken considerable time to present its case, yet it has ultimately failed to produce cogent, credible and legally sufficient evidence capable of sustaining the charges against me and my colleagues before this honourable court,” Kang said.
He added that the prosecution had not presented material or digital evidence strong enough to justify the charges.
“Despite the length of these proceedings, the evidentiary record remains fundamentally insufficient and the allegations advanced have not matured into proof meeting the required legal standard,” he said.
Kang outlined his position on the 2018 revitalised peace agreement (R-ARCSS), his role in its implementation, and the Nasir incident of March 3–4, 2025.
“I have been at the centre of the implementation of the R-ARCSS and, as such, it has always been my obligation to stand on the side of this peace agreement,” he said.
He argued that several serious violations of the 2018 peace deal had occurred prior to the Nasir incident.
“Allow me to inform this court that there have been many serious violations of the agreement, including but not limited to the Kajo-Keji training centre incident in 2020, the Maiwut County incident in 2020, the Nasir incident in August 2020, and the Tambura County incident in 2021, among many others,” he said.
“This is to say that violations of the agreement did not begin with the Nasir incident of March 3–4, 2025. Instead, the violations began right from the formation of the RTGoNU [Revitalised government] and were always resolved through mechanisms of the R-ARCSS or by the two principals, the president and the first vice president.”
He said the Nasir incident was not isolated but one of several violations of the permanent ceasefire.
“The responsibility for investigating such violations lies with CTSAMVM, which reports directly to RJMEC and the IGAD Council of Ministers, as per articles 2.4.5 and 2.4.7 of the R-ARCSS,” he said.
Kang also said the incident had been used to undermine the 2018 peace deal and to target political rivals.
“Although the Nasir incident is being used as a reason to abrogate the R-ARCSS and to carry out a political witch-hunt against rivals, it must nevertheless be mentioned that cases of this nature are to be handled by the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, as per articles 5.1.5, 5.3.2.1.4, 5.3.2.2 and 5.3.6 of the R-ARCSS,” he said.
Kang, 41, faces charges including murder, conspiracy, terrorism, treason and crimes against humanity.
Co-defendants include 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 is under house arrest, while the co-accused remain in detention under the National Security Service.
Prosecutors allege that forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO), allied with the White Army militia, killed 257 South Sudan People’s Defence Forces soldiers, including commander David Majur Dak, and destroyed or seized military equipment worth about $58 million in an attack on a garrison in Nasir in March 2025.
Presiding Judge James Alala Deng adjourned the hearing to Wednesday, May 6, 2026, for judges to continue hearing submissions from the first accused, Puot Kang Chuol.
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