By Yiep Joseph
The National Security Service (NSS) officer who filed the treason case against suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and seven others has appeared during the 21st sessions.
The NSS intelligence officer, who is the complainant, on Friday claimed that Dr. Machar conspired with the White Army militia to arrange attacks on the military base in Nasir County.
Captain Richard Al-Kashif Apollo told the special court that the information gathered by the security showed that Dr. Machar and his forces, the SPLA-IO and the White Army were in coordination for the attack.
He claimed that the NSS began collecting intelligence on January 21, 2025, regarding a White Army and SPLA-IO plan to attack the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) garrison in Nasir.
Al-Kashif claimed that while Dr. Machar and the rest of the accused were in Juba, they were mobilizing and funding the activities of the White Army and the SPLA-IO to attack the government barracks in Nasir.
The complainant claimed that intelligence information collected by the security revealed that Dr. Machar and the co-accused were involved in sharing intelligence information aimed at coordinating the attacks on Nasir Garrison.
The complainant was examined by the prosecution counsel, General Saraphino Simon Missal, during the session.
Apollo said Dr. Machar and his co-accused “plotted” with the White Army and SPLA-IO, coordinating intelligence, mobilization, and funding to carry out the attack.
He added that the accused funded the White Army but did not know how much or who sent the money.
When asked about the sources of intelligence, he said the information came through the Internal Security Bureau’s channels, including phones, WhatsApp, and laptops.
He said he opened case number 1533-2025 on March 20, 2025, at the Police Northern Division in Juba, rather than Upper Nile, due to insecurity in the state and because the accused are residents of Juba.
When cross-examined by defense lawyer Adv. Warnyang Kiir Warnyang about whether he knew the details of intelligence reports, including the amounts and details of funds allegedly sent for mobilization, he replied that they were already presented as before the court.
The complainant, however, referred most of the questions to be answered later by the witnesses.
He expressed that in most cases the details were available and can later be testified to by the witnesses who will appear before the court.
Meanwhile, the presiding judge asked whether any of the accused were arrested before the attack after receiving intelligence indicating the looming threat as claimed.
The complainer replied that none were arrested prior to the attack, adding that all the arrests occurred after the incident.
In September President Salva Kiir suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, along with Petroleum Minister Puot Kang, pending court trials on charges of treason, murder, and crimes against humanity.
The government filed six charges against the two and six other opposition officials following an investigation into the March 2025 Nasir incident.
Dr. Joseph Geng Akec, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, in a press briefing announced the charges, which include murder, conspiracy, terrorism, treason, destruction of public property, and crimes against humanity.
The accused are alleged to have coordinated with the White Army in attacks on Nasir town between March 3 and 7, 2025. The incident resulted in the deaths of Maj. Gen. David Majur Dak, over 250 SSPDF soldiers, and a United Nations pilot.
The Minister of Justice added that 83 individuals were interrogated, with 21 indicted—eight detained and charged, 13 at large, and 76 released for lack of evidence.
The charges and his suspension have sparked debate across South Sudan’s media space. The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army In Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) has widely rejected and condemned the government’s charges and suspension.