Brigadier General Santino Akot Abiem, senior officer of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and member of the Joint Verification Monitoring Mechanism (JVMM), presented a detailed report on efforts to evacuate stranded soldiers from Nasir by UNMISS during the 30th session in Juba.
Akot, who oversaw the evacuation process, said the UN deployed two helicopters on March 4th and 5th to evacuate SSPDF soldiers, including their commander, Maj. Gen. David Majur Dak was stranded in Nasir after clashes with a local armed group called the White Army.
Brig. Gen. Akot stated that the United Nations dispatched two UN helicopters on March 5 to evacuate 20 soldiers stranded in Nasir garrison, but encountered gunfire and were unable to evacuate any soldiers.
Akot stated that on March 6, the two UN helicopters were again dispatched from Malakal to Nasir after getting assurance of safe evacuation from Machar.
However, only 6 soldiers were evacuated amid heavy gunfire, which resulted in the death of one crew member and serious injuries to two pilots.
Akot claimed that Machar told UNMISS that the two helicopters were subjected to heavy gunfire because the soldiers attempted to board with their weapons.
Akot stated that they reached out to UNMISS, which supplied two helicopters, and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) provided one helicopter that can carry only six passengers from Juba to Malakal.
He stated that the ICRC later declined to undertake the evacuation mission after being unable to obtain assurances and safety guarantees on the ground.
“The ICRC landed at Malakal airport, and they called me telling me that they couldn’t embark on the mission and they wanted to return to Juba. They told me that there is no local safe guarantee, and they returned to Juba,” Akot said.
Akot said Machar told UNMISS that the two helicopters came under heavy gunfire because the soldiers wanted to board with their guns.
Dr Riek Machar, 72 years old, and his allies face charges of murder, treason, and crimes against humanity at a special court led by a panel of three judges.
These charges stem from a March 2025 attack by a militia allegedly linked to Machar, which resulted in the deaths of Maj. Gen. David Majur Dak, along with 250 soldiers and a member of the UNMISS helicopter crew.
Presiding judge Dr James Alala Deng adjourned the session to Monday, December 15th, when the defence team is expected to cross-examine Brig. Gen. Santino Akot.
