SPLMIO officials fled Juba over fear of arrest intimidation claims Machars coaccused

Testifying during the 88th session in Juba, Gatwech Lam Puoch, a lawmaker representing Nasir County in the national parliament on an SPLM-IO ticket and one of the co-accused in the case involving suspended First Vice President Riek Machar Teny, told the court that the political atmosphere in the capital had become increasingly hostile after the incident.

Lam claimed that the tensions were fueled by what he described as a sustained negative campaign from senior government figures, which he said created widespread fear among SPLM-IO members and supporters.

“As a result of the negative campaign from the top leadership of the country on the Nasir incident, this significantly generated enormous tension; many politicians left the country because of fear of arrest or repression. Many families also left the country,” he said.

He did not specify the number of politicians who allegedly left, but maintained that the climate in Juba pushed some political actors to flee while others went into hiding.

Lam further told the court that SPLM-IO leaders and supporters were being publicly labeled as criminals before any formal investigations or judicial determinations had been made.

“I want to put it clear before this court that we are not criminals; we are peace makers who came to Juba bare-handed in 2019 with big hearts to implement the R-ARCSS to put an end to the suffering of our people,” he said, referring to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan.

He alleged that several senior government officials made public statements attributing blame for the Nasir incident to SPLM-IO leaders before investigations were concluded. Among those he mentioned were former Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel, Vice President Taban Deng Gai, and senior presidential advisor Kuol Manyang Juuk.

Lam said such remarks contributed to a narrative that painted SPLM-IO figures as responsible for the incident without due process.

He specifically referenced remarks allegedly made by Kuol Manyang Juuk during a meeting with a high-level delegation of the African Union Peace and Security Council in Juba on 12 August 2025.

“When I spelled out the names of senior government officials that made negative campaigns, Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk was left out, but I want to bring to the attention of this court that the first government official who labeled us as criminals was Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk on 12 August, 2025, during a meeting of the high-level delegation of the AU Peace and Security Council,” Lam said.

According to him, the African Union delegation had urged the release of suspended First Vice President Riek Machar and other political detainees, as well as renewed dialogue to advance implementation of the 2018 peace agreement.

He told the court that Kuol responded by rejecting the characterization of detainees as political prisoners.
“Gen. Juuk responded that we don’t have political detainees; we have criminals, and they must face the law,” he said.

Lam also alleged that statements made by senior officials after the Nasir incident linked the SPLM-IO and its leader Riek Machar Teny to the attack without prior investigation, and that such claims extended to associations with the White Army militia and references to the 1991 Nasir declaration.

“These statements further associate the entity commonly known as the White Army with the SPLM-IO and the Nasir declaration of 1991, while relying on inconsistent and exaggerated casualties to reinforce that narrative,” he said.

He added that the handling of the case and related arrests undermined the 2018 peace agreement, warning that the developments risked reversing hard-won political gains.

“The enemies of peace have used the Nasir incident to destroy the gains and achievements of the agreement. The unlawful arrest of H.E. FVP and seven accused from the SPLM-IO was the last attempt to assassinate the revitalized agreement,” Lam said.

The hearing was adjourned until Monday, 17 June, when Lam is expected to continue his defence testimony.

The case involves eight accused persons, including suspended First Vice President Riek Machar Teny, Puot Kang Chuol, Mam Pal Dhuor, Gatwech Lam Puoch, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, Camilo Gatmai Kel, Mading Yak Riek, and Dominic Gatgok Riek.

Prosecutors allege that forces aligned to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), together with the White Army militia, killed 257 South Sudan People’s Defence Forces soldiers, including commander David Majur Dak, and destroyed or seized military equipment worth about $58 million during an attack on a garrison in Nasir in March 2025.

sudanspost.com