21/11/2025
SSPDF major testifies in Machar’s trial
South Sudan's First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar
November 21, 2025 JUBA
A South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) major on Friday testified against suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and seven co-defendants in the high-profile trial over the deadly attack in Nasir.
Machar, 73, and his co-accused are charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity before a special court led by a panel of three judges.
The charges stem from a March 2025 assault on the Nasir garrison allegedly by the White Army and Machar’s SPLA-IO forces. The attack killed Maj. Gen. David Majur Dak, more than 250 soldiers and a member of a UN helicopter crew, according to prosecutors.
The court, presided over by Judge James Alala Deng, heard evidence during its 23rd session at Freedom Hall in Juba. The prosecution plans to present 16 witnesses, eight of whom are under protection. A translation was provided during Friday’s proceedings.
Maj. Peter Malual Deng Lual, an SSPDF officer and one of the witnesses, presented a set of documents, videos and administrative reports he said demonstrated coordination between SPLA-IO generals, local authorities and White Army militia members ahead of the Nasir attack.
Maj. Malual said he is part of a joint military investigation team formed after the March attack in Nasir. “The report was compiled by a committee of seven officers, and we were given six weeks to complete it,” he said.
Among the exhibits was a video showing Lt. Gen. James Koang Chuol, former SSPDF assistant chief of defense forces for training, and Lt. Gen. Johnson Olony, SSPDF assistant chief of defense forces for mobilization and disarmament, addressing troops in Malakal on deployments to Nasir. Another video showed both generals speaking to the media in Bilpham regarding the Nasir incident.
