Dr Riek Machar's defence lawyers - courtesy

JUBA, South Sudan (Eye Radio) — In the second court session for Dr. Riek Machar and his co-accused, the defense team argued that the special court has no jurisdiction to hear the case, claiming the Nasir incident was a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Dr. Gari Raymond, the lead defense lawyer, contended that the incident falls under the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM), not a criminal court.

“The Nasir incident is a case of a ceasefire violation, clashes of two forces, as such the revitalized agreement provides for a mechanism for the resolution of ceasefire violations through the CTSAMVM to investigate and report to R-JMEC and IGAD council of ministers. Then, R-JMEC will report to the IGAD, and IGAD will recommend the way forward,” Raimondu stated.

According to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement, the CTSAMVM is the body responsible for monitoring, verifying, and reporting on the permanent ceasefire and transitional security arrangements.

The defense is urging the court to defer the case to this mechanism.