Late Gen David Majur Dak - courtesy

JUBA, South Sudan (Eye Radio) – A prosecution witness appearing before the special court on Monday during its 24th session linked White Army commander Kang Makana to the killing of Gen. David Majur during the March 2025 Nasir attack, as evidence continued to be presented in the high-profile case against suspended FVP Dr Riek Machar and seven co-accused.

The session opened with the registration of attendance. The judge noted the continued absence of the sixth defendant, Gen. Kamilio Gatmai, who has missed several hearings due to what his defense team says are ongoing medical issues.

A senior SSPDF officer serving as a prosecution witness told the court that an official investigative committee concluded that White Army commander Kang Makana was responsible for the killing of Gen. Majur.

The witness said Makana took command of the White Army after the death of Tor Gile, who initially led the group during the early stages of the Nasir attack.

He added that the attack on the Nasir military garrison was coordinated under Makana’s leadership, resulting in the capture of the base and the killing of Gen. Majur.

The prosecution submitted a video spoken in the Nuer language, which the court assigned Tong Simon to translate. The footage reportedly shows Tor Gile, one of the defendants killed during the Nasir incident, addressing a crowd on 3 March 2025, a day before the attack.

The witness said the video demonstrates Tor’s leadership role and the transition of White Army command that occurred after Tor Gile’s death, eventually leading to Kang Makana taking full command.

He told the court that after the garrison collapsed, Brig. Gen. Majur and 55 SSPDF soldiers retreated into troop carriers. White Army fighters surrounded them and denied them food and water for an extended period. The fighters then overran the camp, searching for survivors. The witness alleged that wounded SSPDF soldiers were killed where they lay, and some bodies were mutilated.

The witness asked the court to examine the video evidence as reinforcement for his testimony. He said the government urgently appealed to the United Nations after receiving reports that dozens of besieged soldiers were still alive but nearing starvation.

He added that a meeting was held involving UN representatives, IGAD officials, presidential envoys, Dr Riek Machar, then First Vice President, and former Vice President Bol Mel.

During the meeting, the witness stated that Dr Machar gave explicit assurances that UN aircraft and personnel would not face obstruction from the White Army or SPLA-IO forces, which convinced the UN to authorize an evacuation mission.

The witness testified that Dr. Machar personally telephoned Brig. Gen. Majur, advising him to surrender his weapons to the opposition forces. Majur reportedly refused, insisting that only the SSPDF high command in Juba could issue such orders.

The prosecution outlined three separate UN evacuation attempts. The first attempt was on 5 March 2025, when the helicopter mission failed due to resistance on the ground, which the witness attributed either to confusion or conflicting signals from local opposition forces.

The second attempt was on 6 March 2025, when the ten unarmed SSPDF soldiers were successfully evacuated under UN protection.

The third attempt was on 7 March 2025, when the operation nearly collapsed after the UN initially refused to proceed, citing objections from armed actors near the landing zone.

The witness said Dr Machar intervened by phone to reassure the UN and encourage them to continue. All forces controlling the garrison were instructed to withdraw 300–500 meters from the landing area before any aircraft could land.

The witness said that just as the aircraft attempted to evacuate Gen. Majur and six unarmed guards, indiscriminate gunfire erupted.

A UN co-pilot was shot and killed, and the aircraft’s navigator sustained injuries. The plane also suffered significant bullet damage. Photographs of the damaged aircraft and the deceased UN officer were presented in court.

After reviewing the testimony and photographic evidence, the judge adjourned the session until Wednesday, 26 November, when the prosecution’s witness is expected to continue.