“I am not the commander of the White Army, and neither is Regina” – Machar

Former First Vice President and SPLM-IO leader Dr Riek Machar made the statement while defending himself against allegations linking him to the White Army, saying that he was not its commander and that the party’s acting chairperson, Hon. Regina Joseph Kaba, is also not its commander, during the 126th session of the Special Court on the Incident of Nasir in Juba on Monday, November 2, 2026.

Machar, who is the fifth accused in the trial involving eight SPLM-IO officials, was responding to claims by senior government officials that he was leading the White Army and that parallel administrations existed in parts of the country.

“I would re-emphasize that I am not the commander of the so-called White Army, for the reasons I have stated. Even the person who is the acting chairperson now, Hon. Regina Joseph Kaba, is not a commander of the White Army.”

He rejected the allegations, arguing that the transitional government had appointed governors and county commissioners across the country under the power-sharing arrangements provided for in the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

He also disputed claims that parallel governments and two separate states existed, saying the parties to the peace agreement had established a unified national government.

In his testimony, Machar explained that the security arrangements under the peace agreement provided for 17 training centres for the Necessary Unified Forces, comprising military, police, civil defence, wildlife and national security personnel.

He said the training centres were divided into nine military centres, six for police, civil defence and wildlife, and two for national security services.

Machar further told the court that SPLA-IO forces had been confined to 25 cantonment areas and 32 assembly areas, while the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) remained in their barracks and deployment stations.

He also addressed allegations that he had refused to relinquish his position as Commander-in-Chief of the SPLA-IO, saying the process of unifying the country’s armed forces had not been completed.

Machar said the country continued to have three separate military formations: the Unified Forces, the SSPDF and the SPLA-IO, adding that the unification process had stalled due to inadequate political and financial support for the Joint Defence Board.

He argued that he would relinquish the title of Commander-in-Chief only after the forces had been fully unified into one national army in accordance with the peace agreement and the amended Constitution.

The former First Vice President also accused senior government officials of failing to provide resources for the unification process while advocating the use of force to bring the forces together.

Machar further rejected allegations that he and local youth had held survivors of the March 2025 Nasir incident hostage, saying his personal intervention had helped bring the survivors to Juba.

He also denied instructing the late General David Majur Dak to surrender, saying he had made efforts to ensure the general’s peaceful evacuation after fighting broke out in Nasir on March 3, 2025.

During the same testimony, Machar questioned statements made by senior officials at General Majur’s funeral on March 19, 2025, which he described as inflammatory and politically motivated.

He also provided the court with a historical account of Nasir County, including previous clashes between government forces and local youth from 2020 to 2025.

Meanwhile, the defence team raised concerns over restrictions on family visits to the accused and what it described as suspicious searches conducted at their detention facility.

Defence lawyers told the court that family visits had been suspended without adequate explanation, particularly for seven detainees held at the National Security Service’s Internal Security Bureau headquarters, commonly known as the Blue House.

They also reported that the detainees’ cells had been searched during their absence in early October and again on the night before Monday’s hearing, after the accused were removed from their cells.

The defence said the incidents had raised concerns about the safety of the detainees. Prison officials, according to the defence, were not aware of the operations when questioned about them.

The court adjourned the proceedings until Friday, November 6, 2026, when Machar is expected to continue giving his defence testimony.