JUBA – South Sudan’s Deputy Chief of Defense Forces and fourth accused in an ongoing trial involving suspended first vice president Dr. Riek Machar Teny on Wednesday described the arrest and trial of senior SPLM-IO leaders as a “coup against the peace agreement,” arguing that the detentions undermined the implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
Testifying before the Special Court in Juba on Wednesday during 99 sessions, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam told the court that the detention of key opposition officials violated the spirit and provisions of the 2018 peace pact, which established a power-sharing transitional government and security arrangements among the signatory parties.
“The arrest of the SPLM/A-IO leadership by the SPLM-IG is seen as a coup against the revitalized peace agreement in military terms, it is a move staged against the peace agreement because the SPLM-IG is not for the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement,” Lam said.
Lam, who also serves as the acting chief of staff of the SPLM-IO, said the arrest and continued detention of SPLM-IO leaders should not be used to secure political or military advantage or to preserve the status quo at the expense of the peace agreement.
“This arbitrary arrest and detention was affected simply because the SPLM/A-IO chose peace over violence and unity over division and hope over fear; that is why we came to Juba without security protection,” he said.
Lam said the arrest of SPLM-IO political and military leaders marked a serious setback to the peace process, despite their decision to choose unity over division and seize the opportunity to restore peace in the country instead of allowing challenges to derail the agreement.
“This good political will should not be taken for granted by one side to create unfounded charges in the name of the Nasir incident. The Nasir incident is a violent confrontation between the local armed youth and the SSPDF forces,” he said.
He said the Nasir incident constituted a violation of the ceasefire and should have been addressed through the Joint Defense Board and the established ceasefire monitoring mechanisms, as well as tackled like previous incidents in Leer County of Unity State and Tonj North County of Warrap State.
“The massacre of Leer County in Unity State that claimed the lives of more than 350 innocent civilians and the deadly incident of Rualbet of Tonj North County of Warrap State that killed a company of the SSPDF, including their commander Col. Amol Dau, who was also chief of military intelligence of Division 11, and many other incidents,” he said.
“The fighting in Nasir was purely between the SSPDF and local armed youth because there is no command order issued by the SPLA-IO General Headquarters to any SPLA-IO personnel to participate in the Nasir operation.”
The court adjourned the hearing until July 24, 2026, when Lam is expected to continue presenting his defense.
The trial, which has attracted national attention because of the senior political and military figures involved, is being presided over by Judge James Alala Deng, alongside Justices Stephen Simon and Isaac Pur Majok.
The prosecution team consists of 13 lawyers drawn from the Ministry of Justice and other legal institutions, including Counsel General Deng Achuil Adija, Dr. Sabri Wani Lado, Serafino Simon Mizan, and Filberto Mayuot Mareng.
The accused are represented by a six-member defense team, including Dr. Geri Raymond Legge, Kur Lual Kur, and Anis Tombe Augustino.
Investigations into the case are being led by Major General Basile Thomas Wani, assisted by Brigadier General John Dak, while Captain Richard Gachi Apollo of the Internal Security Service is listed as the complainant.
Those standing trial include Dr. Riek Machar, Puot Kang Chuol, Mam Pal Dhuor, Gatwech Lam Puoch, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, Camilo Gatmai Kel, Mading Yak Riek, and Dominic Gatgok Riek.
The court is expected to continue examining evidence presented in the case, including digital forensic materials cited by prosecutors as part of alleged links between political figures and armed groups.
