Photo|24-09-2025-By Obaj Okuj-

JUBA, July 22, 2026 — The fourth accused in the Nasir incident trial on Wednesday denied allegations that the SPLA-IO was involved in the clashes between local youth and government forces in Nasir County.

Lt. Gen. Duop Lam, the Acting Chief of General Staff of the SPLA-IO, made the remarks while continuing his defence before the Special Court during its 99th session in Juba.

Duop told the court the clashes were driven by socio-economic factors and relations between civilians and the military, and were not politically motivated.

He said no SPLA-IO commander at the strategic, operational or tactical level ordered or planned military operations in Nasir.

Duop also described the arrest of SPLM/A-IO leaders by government security agencies as a “coup” against the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.

He told the court the SPLA-IO leadership returned to Juba without personal protection as a demonstration of its commitment to the peace agreement.

During his testimony, Duop said the government had not applied accountability consistently in other deadly incidents, citing violence in Leer County in Unity State and the Rual Bet incident in Tonj North County, Warrap State.

He also told the court that the SPLA-IO had participated in efforts to de-escalate tensions in Nasir following clashes in 2024 by deploying a 750-member force to separate local youth and SSPDF troops.

According to his testimony, the deployment was coordinated with SSPDF headquarters, the Nasir garrison commander and the county commissioner, and the force later withdrew after the security situation improved.

Duop further alleged that former SSPDF Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Paul Nang failed to support decisions by the Joint Defence Board to deploy the Necessary Unified Forces to Nasir and rejected proposals to replace long-serving SSPDF troops in the area.

He also alleged that Gen. Nang later ordered a battalion of the Necessary Unified Forces to move to Malakal as part of preparations for a military movement toward Nasir.

The presiding judge later interrupted the defence statement and adjourned the trial until Friday, July 24.