Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The special court trial investigating the “Nasir events” entered its thirty-fifth session on Monday morning. The case involves high-profile defendants, including the suspended First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, and several senior leaders of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO).
The proceedings opened with the formal registration of attendance. While the prosecution and defense teams were fully represented, the sixth defendant was absent due to ongoing health concerns, as confirmed by defense counsel Dr.Geri Raimondo Legge.
The highlight of the session was the testimony of the sixth prosecution witness, an SSPDF sergeant who served in the personal security detail of the late General David Majur Dak.
The witness provided an account of the fall of the Nasir County garrison. According to his testimony, the garrison was targeted by a massive offensive on March 3, 2025, launched by SPLM-IO forces and bolstered by the “White Army” militia. Despite intelligence warnings of a secondary strike, a follow-up attack on March 4 overwhelmed government defenses, leading to the capture of the area by opposition forces.
The witness recounted the final hours of General David Majur, noting that they had taken refuge inside an armored vehicle during the siege. He alleged that Dr. Riek Machar personally contacted General Majur via telephone to demand a surrender.
“General Majur refused the demand, affirming that he would only follow orders issued by the Minister of Defense or the Chief of General Staff,” the witness testified.
A subsequent demand for the General to surrender to the commissioner of Nasir was also rejected, as the General reportedly viewed the commissioner as a combatant aligned with the opposition.
The court heard that by March 5, a UN-led evacuation was being coordinated. General Majur reportedly informed UN representatives that 55 soldiers were trapped inside the armored vehicles.
However, the witness claimed that Dr. Machar later informed the General that the government’s armored assets had already been “distributed” among SPLM-IO units and local clans. Specifically, the witness alleged that Machar directed the reallocation of four government tanks—one to the SPLA-IO and three to local allied groups.
The session concluded with the witness describing the tragic failure of the evacuation. He testified that the wounded General Majur was shot and killed during the chaos. The witness himself was captured and later released only after his family paid a $6,000 ransom, negotiated down from $10,000 through the mediation of a local sultan.
The court has adjourned and is scheduled to resume on January 7, when the defense will begin its cross-examination of the witness.
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