Former First Vice President Riek Machar has disputed former Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel's account of the March 2025 Nasir crisis. Machar denied claims that he ordered an attack on a government garrison and rejected proposals to ease tensions. He made these statements during the 125th session of his trial on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Machar challenged several claims attributed to Bol Mel in a speech delivered during the burial of Maj. Gen. David Majur Dak.
According to Machar, Bol Mel claimed that he ordered White Army leader Tor Gille Tuoan to attack the military garrison in Nasir after discovering that government troops' boats could not reach the town. However, Machar told the court that he was unaware of the alleged order. The barges were transporting South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) soldiers to relieve or replace troops stationed at the Wec-yar-Adiw garrison in Nasir County.
Machar stated that when the barges and gunboats could not proceed beyond Malual, he held a telephone conference with the commissioners of Ulang and Nasir, then Upper Nile State Governor James Odok, and former Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Paul Nang Majok to discuss the situation. Machar proposed hiring six large boats to transport the troops and their supplies to Wec-yar-Adiw, to which Gen. Paul Nang Majok agreed to pay the $60,000 requested by the boat owners.
However, Machar said the mission was later called off, and the boats and troops were ordered back to Malakal without his knowledge. He also denied that Bol Mel had asked him to deploy SPLA-IO forces as a buffer between government troops and the White Army. Machar stated that the SPLA-IO had established such a buffer zone during clashes between government forces and local youth in Nasir in February 2024.
Machar further rejected allegations that he had misled the United Nations over the Nasir crisis, saying his dealings with the organisation have been transparent. He claimed that he had asked the UN to evacuate Gen. David Majur Dak and 26 soldiers from Nasir after local youth captured the Wec-yar-Adiw garrison. Machar disputed claims that he attended a joint meeting with Bol Mel, the chief of defence forces, and UN officials to discuss evacuating government forces from Nasir.
Machar challenged an alleged proposal to relocate SPLA-IO forces from Greater Upper Nile to Malakal, Greater Equatoria to Oweng-ki-Bul, and Greater Bahr el Ghazal to Mapel. He argued that the move would contradict provisions of the 2018 peace agreement. Proposals affecting troop deployments, he said, should be discussed through the security mechanisms established under the agreement.
Machar and seven co-accused face charges arising from the Nasir clashes, including treason, murder, conspiracy, terrorism, destruction of public property, and crimes against humanity. The court adjourned the session until November 2, 2026, when Machar is expected to continue his defence statement. Prosecutors allege that forces aligned with the SPLM/A-IO and the White Army attacked a government garrison in Nasir, killing 257 soldiers, including Gen. David Majur Dak.
Key points
- Machar disputes Bol Mel's claims over the Nasir crisis
- Machar denies ordering an attack on the government garrison
- The court adjourned the session until November 2, 2026
