A prosecution witness has told a special court in Juba that First Vice President and opposition leader Dr Riek Machar allegedly held a phone conversation with White Army fighters and SPLA-IO commanders shortly before the March 2025 assault on the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) garrison in Nasir.

Testifying on Wednesday, First Lieutenant Mohamed Ahmed Jidu—the fourth prosecution witness and a survivor of the attack—said he was informed by relatives by marriage and military sources that the call took place on 2 March and involved plans to attack SSPDF positions in Nasir.

Lt Jidu told the court, during its 32nd session, that tensions in the area had been rising since mid-February, with SSPDF soldiers reportedly ambushed while collecting firewood and fishing. He said civilians from nearby areas began moving toward SPLA-IO barracks in Mandeng on 15 February, followed by meetings of the White Army at the county headquarters a day later.

According to the witness, the arrival of heavily armed SPLA-IO forces in Nasir prompted SSPDF commander Maj Gen Majur Dak to seek clarification from then county commissioner James Gatluak Gatluak Lew. Lt Jidu said the commissioner explained that civilians had gone to Mandeng to collect UN food aid and that SPLA-IO troops were providing security for a White Army leadership meeting.

The court heard that SPLA-IO forces later left the area to attack barges transporting SSPDF troops before returning to Nasir. On 1 March, a joint meeting involving SPLA-IO, the White Army and the commissioner allegedly elected Colonel Tor Gile as the White Army leader.

Lt Jidu testified that on 2 March, Dr Machar allegedly spoke by phone with White Army and SPLA-IO leaders in Nasir, describing the conversation as ending on a “good moral” note. He said he was later told the call led to plans for an attack on the garrison the following day.

On 3 March, Tor Gile allegedly led the first assault, which SSPDF forces repelled, killing him. A second attack the next morning, led by his deputy Kang Makana, reportedly overran the garrison.

The witness said he and Maj Gen Majur Dak were wounded and trapped inside an armoured personnel carrier (APC). He testified that senior SPLA-IO commanders later entered the garrison and that Majur received phone calls from Dr Machar urging him to surrender, which he refused.

Lt Jidu told the court that UN helicopters later attempted to evacuate the wounded, but the operation was disrupted by ongoing gunfire. Maj Gen Majur was subsequently killed during the evacuation attempt, according to the prosecution. Survivors were taken to a UN hospital in Malakal before being transferred to Juba.

He said those trapped in the APC survived for several days on dry fish and water drained from the vehicle’s radiator.

At the start of Wednesday’s hearing, the prosecution and defence confirmed their presence, along with witnesses and a court translator. The defence reported that all accused persons were present except the sixth accused, Camilo Gamai Kel, whose absence was formally recorded.

Earlier, the court also heard from a third prosecution witness, Captain Joseph Malong Akot, another survivor, who testified that SPLA-IO and White Army fighters were operating jointly in Nasir. He said he had previously been ambushed while collecting firewood, an incident he said was never investigated.

The trial is scheduled to resume on Friday, 19 December 2025, when defence lawyers are expected to cross-examine the fourth witness.

Dr Machar and his co-accused face charges including murder, conspiracy, terrorism, treason, destruction of public property and crimes against humanity. Prosecutors allege that SPLA-IO forces allied with the White Army killed 257 SSPDF soldiers, including Maj Gen Majur Dak, and destroyed or seized military equipment valued at about $58 million.