Suspended Petroleum Minister Puot Kang has accused senior allies of President Salva Kiir of masterminding the deadly March 3–4 attack on the Nasir garrison, which killed SSPDF General David Majur Dak and 257 soldiers.
Kang, the first accused to testify before the special court at its 80th session at Freedom Hall on Friday, told the court that the Nasir incident, his arrest, and the ensuing conflict were “squarely a responsibility of our accusers.”
“It is important to inform this honorable special court and the people of South Sudan that the Nasir incident, our arrest and subsequent war that is going on in South Sudan is squarely a responsibility of our accusers,” he said.
He named several high-ranking officials he alleged were involved in planning the attack, including Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, Defence Minister Gen. Chol Thon Balok, Justice Minister Michael Makuei Lueth, and former Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Paul Ngang Majok.
Kang claimed the officials pushed for the deployment of non-unified forces to Nasir instead of the Necessary Unified Forces, and ordered bombardments of civilian areas in Jonglei and Upper Nile states in February 2025.
He also accused some of making inflammatory statements against the R-ARCSS peace agreement, the SPLM/A-IO, and the Nuer community.
The senior SPLM-IO official denied any involvement in the attack, insisting that the eight accused persons never planned or agreed to assault the SSPDF garrison in Nasir.
“We, the eight accused before the court or 21 of us, have never and ever agreed to attack the SSPDF garrison in Nasir because we are for peace and we stand by it,” Kang said.
He added that the accused had never met — physically or virtually — to plot against the revitalised peace agreement, criticising prosecutors for failing to produce evidence such as meeting minutes.
Judge James Alala Deng adjourned the hearing to Monday, May 25, for continuation of Kang’s testimony.
Kang is among eight defendants facing serious charges including treason, crimes against humanity, murder, terrorism, and destruction of property over the March 2025 attack on the SSPDF base in Nasir, Upper Nile State.
His co-defendants include suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, Mam Pal Dhuor, Gatwech Lam Puoch, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, Camilo Gatmai Kel, Mading Yak Riek, and Dominic Gatgok Riek.
Prosecutors allege that SPLA-IO forces, allied with the White Army militia, killed 257 SSPDF soldiers and destroyed or seized military equipment worth approximately $58 million.
