Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The daughter of the late Gen. David Majur Dak has criticised the exclusion of victims’ families from the ongoing trial of Dr Riek Machar, warning that sidelining those most affected undermines the very essence of justice.
Gen. Majur, a senior commander in the South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF), was killed along with 27 of his bodyguards on March 7, 2025, during a White Army attack in Nasir County, Upper Nile State.
The government accuses Machar, Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), of orchestrating the assault.
He now faces treason and murder charges alongside seven co-accused after being suspended from his role as First Vice President, alongside the Minister of Petroleum, Puot Kang Chol.
But while the proceedings formally opened in Juba on Monday, September 22, journalists and families of those killed were barred from the courtroom.
Majur’s daughter, Abul Majur Dak, took to Facebook to express her frustration, terming the proceedings “an empty ritual” without the involvement of the victims’ families.
“Denying access to the victims’ families during the court hearing makes no sense. Who, then, is justice being sought for?” she asked in a statement shared this week.
“Justice that cannot be witnessed by the living is an empty ritual. Justice belongs not to the dead… they have already borne the weight of loss… but to the living who carry the pain, the memory, and the demand for truth. To exclude them is to silence the very voices that give justice its meaning,” she added.
Her remarks highlight growing frustration among families of those who lost their lives in the Nasir attack, who feel shut out of a trial that directly concerns their loved ones.
The trial of Machar—seen by many as one of the most significant political and legal battles in South Sudan’s fragile peace process—has already drawn controversy, with questions over whether it will deliver justice or simply deepen divisions.
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