Gatwech Lam Puoch, one of the co-accused in the trial of suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, told the court on Wednesday that prosecutors were attempting to link him to last year’s violence in Nasir without providing credible evidence.
Testifying as the third accused during the 91st court session at Freedom Hall in Juba, Lam stated that the prosecution had failed to present any direct evidence connecting him to the clashes that took place in Nasir County, Upper Nile State.
“The position adopted by the prosecution in this case clearly shows an attempt to implicate me without tangible or credible evidence capable of substantiating the allegation,” Lam told the court.
Lam, who also serves as a national parliamentarian representing Nasir County, argued that the accusations against him lacked factual support and seemed designed to wrongly involve him in the case.
rHe maintained that the evidence before the court — including the prosecution’s own exhibits and witnesses — showed that the words attributed to him were never spoken and that the claims were based on a misinterpretation of his actual statement.
Lam emphasised that the allegations not only lacked supporting evidence but were also contradicted by the prosecution’s own submissions and witness testimonies.
One key allegation he denied was that he had described the Agwelek and Abushok forces as militias and claimed their mission to Nasir was to disarm the local population.
“I never used the term ‘militia’ at any point,” Lam said. He clarified that he had instead referred to them as forces that had not been integrated into the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and were not part of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF) as outlined in Article 2.3.4 of the R-ARCSS.
He added that the term “militia” was actually used by Gen. James Koang Chuol and Gen. Johnson Olony Thabo when addressing their forces in Malakal on February 15, 2025. Lam pointed out that prosecution witness No. 1, Major Peter Malual Deng, had acknowledged this during cross-examination.
Presiding Judge James Alala Deng adjourned the proceedings until Friday, June 26, when Lam is expected to continue his defence testimony.
The defendants in the case include Riek Machar, Puot Kang Chuol, Mam Pal Dhuor, Lieutenant General Gabriel Duop Lam, Camilo Gatmai Kel, Mading Yak Riek, and Dominic Gatgok Riek.
Machar remains under house arrest, while the other accused are detained by the National Security Service (NSS).
Prosecutors allege that SPLA-IO forces, allied with the White Army militia, killed 257 soldiers — including SSPDF commander David Majur Dak — and destroyed or seized military equipment worth approximately $58 million during the attack in Nasir.
