The special court in Juba on Monday heard detailed testimony about a failed evacuation attempt and the events leading up to the attack in the town of Nasir, as the trial of suspended First Vice-President Riek Machar and seven others continued.
The 31st session of the trial at Freedom Hall heard that seven of the eight accused were present in court, with one absent due to illness.
Failed evacuation
Brigadier General Santino Akot Abiem, a senior officer in the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), testified under cross-examination about what he described as a chaotic evacuation effort from Nasir in March 2025.
He told the court he was instructed on the afternoon of March 4 to coordinate an evacuation after a request from the Chief of Defence Forces. His task was to liaise with humanitarian partners, including the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to explore evacuating people to Malakal and Juba.
Coordination, he said, depended on who controlled the area. “For government-controlled areas, we write official requests,” he testified. “For areas under armed groups, coordination is verbal and partners proceed at their own risk.”
Akot said aid agencies demanded security guarantees, prompting his office to seek assurances from the presidency. He told the court that official channels informed him that Machar’s office had confirmed the area was under government control, allowing the operation to proceed.
He said several evacuation attempts between March 5 and 7 failed because of what he called poor coordination on the ground, forcing aircraft to return without passengers.
During one landing, he said, two White Army leaders and six SSPDF soldiers boarded an aircraft before gunfire erupted.
“One SSPDF soldier was shot and later died on board the aircraft,” Akot testified. “A crew member was also killed, while two pilots were wounded.” He said the aircraft later returned with 16 evacuees, including one confirmed fatality.
Akot told the court no joint report was produced with international partners after the operation. Only his office prepared a report, which he said was submitted to senior military leadership.
Rising tensions
The court also heard testimony suggesting the violence in Nasir began earlier than previously outlined. Military witnesses described an initial ambush on SSPDF soldiers collecting firewood, allegedly carried out by White Army and SPLA-IO fighters.
“The army returned fire and the attackers fled,” one witness said, adding there were casualties on both sides.
According to testimony, tensions had been building for days. On Feb. 28, authorities received intelligence that White Army and SPLA-IO fighters were mobilising and chanting slogans in Nasir town, prompting SSPDF commanders to place their forces on alert.
Attacks escalated on March 1. A senior officer said an assault on March 2 was repelled, followed by another attack on the garrison the next day. He identified one of the attackers as a man named Tor Gile, whom he said was wearing a military uniform. “When I saw the uniform, I knew he was a trained fighter,” the officer testified.
Survivor testimony
The third prosecution witness, Captain Joseph Malong Akot, a survivor of the March 4 attack on the Yar-Wech Adiu barracks, gave what the court heard was a harrowing account of the fighting. He confirmed he had prepared a report on the incident.
He told the court he was trapped for days at the frontline inside an armoured personnel carrier with a small group of soldiers, surviving on limited supplies until aircraft arrived. He reiterated that 257 soldiers and a UN crew member were killed in the final assault.
Under cross-examination, Akot said he did not see any of the eight accused personally taking part in the fighting.
Presiding judge James Alala Deng adjourned the trial until Wednesday, when a fourth prosecution witness is expected to testify.
Machar and his co-accused face charges including murder, terrorism, treason and crimes against humanity, which they deny. Prosecutors say the attack in Nasir resulted in the loss of military assets valued at about $58 million.