Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A close ally of suspended First Vice President Dr Riek Machar on Friday denied allegations that he sent $15,000 to finance the violence of the Nasir incident.
The March 3–4, 2025, Nasir incident resulted in the deaths of 257 South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) soldiers, including Commander David Majur Dak, and led to the destruction or capture of military equipment valued at approximately $58 million.
The violence erupted after the White Army, allegedly backed by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO), overran an SSPDF military garrison at “Wec-Yar-Adium in Nasir County, Upper Nile State.
During the 12th court session on October 20, 2025, the lead police investigator, Maj. Gen. Basilio Thomas Wani, alleged that Mam Pal Dhoul financed activities linked to the White Army by transferring $15,000 to Nasir through Dubai, sending KSh 123,000 via M-Pesa, and making another transfer of 623,000 Ethiopian Birr through the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia to recipients in Nasir.
Testifying before a court in Juba on Friday, Mam Pal Dhour, the second accused, rejected claims that a payment linked to him was intended to support armed youth involved in the Nasir incident.
Mam, a businessman who operates a boat transport enterprise, denied allegations that he transferred $15,000 through Mohammed Sherif Ahmed in Dubai to finance activities of armed youth in Nasir.
“On payment of Dirham 55050, equivalent to $15,000, received by Mohammed Sherif Ahmed on my behalf. I would like to say that I am a personal friend of Mohammed Sherif Ahmed, who is an Indian national,” Mam said.
Mam told the court that the money in question was part of a legitimate business transaction and had no connection to the violence that occurred in Nasir, Upper Nile State.
“I requested my business team to send $15,000 to Dubai through Mohammed Sherif Ahmed, which indeed he had received on my behalf. This transaction took place on 18th October 2024. This money has nothing to do with the Nasir incident but for my business,” he said.
According to Mam, he travelled to India on October 5, 2024, as part of a business trip and later proceeded to Dubai with his business associates, Mohammed Sherif Ahmed.
38-year-old business tycoon also recounted his arrest, saying officers from the National Security Service apprehended him at Juba International Airport on March 5, 2026, while he was aboard a plane bound for Uganda.
He told the court that security officers confiscated several of his belongings, including his passport, an HP laptop, three wristwatches, one of them gold, US$1,158, SSP 23,000, a gold necklace, two rings, and a bag.
The court adjourned to Monday, June 8, 2026, for judges to continue hearing the statement of Mam Pal.
Machar, a key opposition figure and former rebel leader, is among eight accused in the case, which has drawn significant political and public attention.
The accused include Riek Machar Teny, 73; Puot Kang Chuol, 40; Mam Pal Dhuor, 37; Gatwech Lam Puoch, 66; Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, 53; Camilo Gatmai Kel, 47; Mading Yak Riek, 45; and Dominic Gatgok Riek, 27.
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.
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