Presiding Judge Ajok Tito Tilar delivered the ruling in absentia in a civil case filed by Manawa Gabriel Mokwej and Agum Andrea over the November 21, 2024, incident.
The court awarded Mokwej $274,850 for medical expenses, vehicle losses and other damages, plus $800,000 for moral and psychological harm. It also ordered the ministry to pay him 30 head of cattle after a medical assessment found that he had sustained a 60% disability.
Andrea was awarded $81,170 for medical expenses, vehicle losses and other damages, plus $300,000 for moral and psychological harm. The monetary awards total $1,456,020, excluding the cattle and legal fees.
“In case to the second plaintiff, that is Madam Agum Andaria, the court issued that the Ministry of Defense shall pay 81,170 US dollars as medical expenses plus the car and other damages 300,000 US dollars being a compensation for mental and moral damages,” Judge Tilar said.
Speaking after the ruling, Andrea urged the ministry to pay without further delay. She said the plaintiffs had previously engaged with a committee established after the incident but received no compensation despite submitting their files to the relevant authorities.
“We appeal to the Ministry again that, regardless of where they are, in an urgent way, they intervene and try to see the necessary compensation,” Andrea said.
Makwach said he suffered serious injuries, including a broken jaw, and underwent several operations in Juba and Egypt. He said he still needed further medical treatment and described the judgment as a victory for justice.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Angelo Thon Pal, said his clients had initially pursued the matter through the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, which notified the Defence Ministry of the intended legal proceedings. He said the ministry’s legal department had not cooperated, prompting his clients to obtain permission to sue under Section 33(2) of the Code of Civil Procedures Act, 2007.
Pal said his team would open an execution file through the court, after which the ministry would be summoned to enforce the judgment. He added that the court had mechanisms to enforce its decisions if the ministry failed to comply.
He also cited Article 20 of South Sudan’s Transitional Constitution, which guarantees the right to litigation, and referred to presidential directives calling for compensation for victims of the incident.
Meanwhile, South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang said it is too early to comment on the ruling, adding that the ministry’s leadership needed to review the judgment with its legal team before responding.
Koor has remained under house arrest since the November 2024 operation. He has not been charged or brought before a court.
