JUBA – A police investigator told a court in Juba on Monday that South Sudan’s suspended First Vice President Riek Machar instructed the late Maj. Gen. David Majur Dak and his bodyguards to surrender their weapons to commanders of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in Opposition (SPLA-IO) following the White Army’s capture of the Nasir garrison earlier this year.
Maj. Gen. Basilio Thomas Wani, the police commissioner of Northern Bahr el Ghazal and lead investigator in the ongoing trial, presented findings implicating Machar and several others in the March incident. He said Machar made phone calls directing Maj. Gen. Majur Dak, then a commander of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), to disarm and hand himself over to SPLA-IO officers.
“During the evacuation attempt, he (Machar) instructed Nasir County Commissioner James Gatluak and SPLA-IO commanders to persuade the late Maj. Gen. David Majur Dak and his forces to leave their weapons inside the Armoured Personnel Carriers and board the helicopter without arms,” Wani said.
The investigator added that Machar, as commander-in-chief of the SPLA-IO, failed to prevent atrocities allegedly committed by his forces during the assault on the SSPDF base in Nasir.
“He neglected to intervene or issue orders to stop the killing of unarmed SSPDF personnel who had surrendered their weapons and did not prevent the execution of wounded or captured soldiers,” Wani told the court.
Wani further alleged that Machar communicated by phone with a surviving SSPDF soldier, promising him a promotion if he returned to Nasir and joined the SPLA-IO to maintain the armoured vehicles.
“He (Machar) gave assurances to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to provide safe passage for SSPDF personnel by moving the White Army 300 to 500 meters from the Nasir garrison. This never happened, resulting in the killing of Maj. Gen. David Majur Dak and others,” Wani said.
The investigator also detailed the alleged roles of other accused individuals. The second suspect, Mam Pal Dhuor, 37, reportedly transferred funds — 123,000 Ugandan shillings and 625,000 Ethiopian birr — via mobile money to finance the White Army attack.
The third accused, Gatwech Lam Puoch, 66, a member of parliament representing Nasir County, was accused of sharing intelligence and helping mobilize the White Army. Wani said Lam held a press conference criticizing the SSPDF’s decision to deploy troops to Nasir, describing the move as unilateral and claiming the forces included Agwelek and Abushok militia members rather than unified forces.
The court session marked the 12th hearing in the trial related to the Nasir incident, one of the most politically sensitive cases in recent months.
