The 41-year-old Chol presented his perspective on the Revitalized Peace Agreement, outlining his role in its implementation and offering his account of the Nasir incident of March 3–4, 2025, before the special court during its 73rd session in Juba on Monday.
In the next session, he is expected to respond to the allegations levelled against him and conclude with his final plea.
During his presentation, Chol claimed that the Nasir incident had been used to undermine the 2018 peace deal and to carry out a political witch hunt against rivals.
“Although the Nasir incident is being used as a reason to abrogate the R-ARCSS and to politically witch-hunt political rivals, it must nevertheless be mentioned that cases of this nature are agreed to be handled by the High Hybrid Court of South Sudan as per articles 5.1.5, 5.3.2.1.4, 5.3.2.2, and 5.3.6 of the R-ARCSS,” he said.
He further claimed that several serious violations of the peace deal had taken place before the Nasir incident but were not given equal attention, suggesting a selective focus on recent events for political purposes.
“Allow me to inform this court that there have been so many serious violations of the agreement, including but not limited to the Kajo-keji training center incident in 2020, the Maiwut County incident in 2020, the Nasir incident in August 2020, the Tombura County incident in 2021, and many others,” he said.
Chol said the Nasir incident should not be isolated from a broader pattern of what he described as repeated violations and political manipulation of the peace accord.
“This is to say that violation of the agreement didn’t begin with that of Nasir’s incident of March 3-4, 2025; instead, the violations began right away from the formation of the RTGoNU and were always resolved through mechanisms of the R-ARCSS or by the two princes, the president and first vice president.”
Presiding Judge James Alala Deng formally adjourned the hearing to Wednesday, May 6, 2026, for judges to continue examining the first accused, Puot Kang Chol.
Machar, a key opposition figure and former rebel leader, is among eight accused in the case, which has drawn significant political and public attention.
The accused include Riek Machar Teny, 73; Puot Kang Chuol, 40; Mam Pal Dhuor, 37; Gatwech Lam Puoch, 66; Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, 53; Camilo Gatmai Kel, 47; Mading Yak Riek, 45; and Dominic Gatgok Riek, 27.
Prosecutors allege that forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO), allied with the White Army militia, killed 257 South Sudan People’s Defense Forces soldiers, including commander David Majur Dak, and destroyed or seized military equipment worth about $58 million in an attack on a garrison in Nasir in March 2025.
