Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The special court resumed on Monday for the 24th session in the case against suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and seven co-accused, as the prosecution presented more evidence on the March 2025 Nasir attack.
The session opened with the registration of attendance. The judge noted the continued absence of the sixth defendant, Gen. Gatmai Kamilio, who has missed several hearings due to what his defence team says are ongoing medical issues.
A senior SSPDF officer serving as a prosecution witness told the court that an official investigative committee concluded that White Army commander Kong Makana was responsible for the killing of Gen. Majur.
The witness said Makana took command of the White Army after the death of Tor Gile, who initially led the group during the early stages of the Nasir attack. He added that the attack on the Nasir military garrison was coordinated under Makana’s leadership, resulting in the capture of the base and the killing of Gen. Majur.
The prosecution submitted a video in the Nuer language, which the court assigned Tong Simon to translate. The footage reportedly shows Tor Gile, one of the defendants killed during the Nasir incident, addressing a crowd on 3 March 2025, a day before the attack.
The witness said the video demonstrates Tong’s leadership role and the transition of command from Tor Gile to Kong Makana.
He told the court that after the garrison collapsed, Brig. Gen. Majur and 55 SSPDF soldiers retreated into troop carriers. They were surrounded and denied food and water for an extended period. White Army fighters then overran the camp, searching for survivors.
The witness alleged that wounded SSPDF soldiers were killed where they lay, and some bodies were mutilated.
The witness asked the court to examine the video as evidence supporting his testimony. He said the government urgently appealed to the United Nations after receiving reports that dozens of besieged soldiers were still alive but nearing starvation.
He added that a meeting was held involving UN representatives, IGAD officials, presidential envoys, Dr. Riek Machar, then First Vice President, and former Vice President Bol Mel. During the meeting, the witness said, Dr. Machar gave explicit assurances that UN aircraft and personnel would not face obstruction from the White Army or SPLA-IO forces, which convinced the UN to authorize an evacuation mission.
The witness testified that Dr. Machar personally phoned Brig. Gen. Majur, advising him to surrender his weapons to opposition forces. Majur reportedly refused, insisting that only the SSPDF high command in Juba could issue such orders.
The prosecution outlined three separate UN evacuation attempts:
Fatal Shooting of a UN Co-Pilot
The witness said that as the aircraft attempted to evacuate Gen. Majur and six unarmed guards, indiscriminate gunfire erupted. A UN co-pilot was shot and killed, and the aircraft’s navigator was injured. The plane also suffered significant bullet damage. Photographs of the damaged aircraft and the deceased UN officer were presented in court.
After reviewing the testimony and evidence, the judge adjourned the session until Wednesday, 26 November, when the prosecution witness is expected to continue.
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