JUBA—Former First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar has denied commanding the White Army, telling the court that the armed youth group lacks the formal military structures necessary for him to exercise control over its members.
“The White Army is not a standing army, and I cannot command it because it does not have the structures necessary for me to exercise command over it,” Machar , the fifth accused in the ongoing Nasir trial in Juba, told the court during Session 124 on Monday.
Machar and seven co-accused are facing charges over an attack on a South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) garrison in Nasir, Upper Nile State, in March 2025. The prosecution alleges that the defendants were involved in the attack, which resulted in the deaths of government soldiers, including Maj. Gen. David Majur Dak.
During his defence testimony, Machar also denied that the White Army receives military assistance, food supplies or sponsorship from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-in-Opposition (SPLM/A-IO).
He described the White Army as a community-based force made up largely of young civilians who mobilise through clans and traditional leadership structures, rather than a formally organised military unit.
According to Machar, the group’s members generally lack military training and gather from their homes and communities when they consider it necessary to defend themselves.
“They have no barracks and are not registered in any SPLA-IO documents,” he said, adding that members organize themselves through headmen, sub-chiefs, and paramount chiefs.
He further said the fighters are volunteer warriors who choose their own leaders and can remove them, with leadership changes occurring annually or whenever members decide.
Machar said the group is known by different names in various geographical areas, including the White Army, Jogum and Nyaborjok.
He distinguished the White Army from other armed formations, including Dutkobeny and Mathiang Anyoor, while noting similarities with community-based groups such as Gelweng, Titweng, Monyemiji and Lokoya youth as well as age-set groups among the Murle.
The former vice president further rejected allegations that he formed the White Army, saying claims linking him to its establishment dated back to the 1991 split within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A).
Machar acknowledged leading the Nasir Declaration of August 28, 1991, but said the split resulted from disagreements over the objectives of the liberation struggle.
He said one faction, led by the late Dr. John Garang, advocated for a united Sudan, while the Nasir Declaration called for self-determination and the independence of Southern Sudan.
The prosecution has accused Machar and his co-defendants of involvement in the March 2025 attack on an SSPDF garrison in Nasir, which resulted in the deaths of government soldiers, including Major General David Majur Dak.
The charges include treason, murder, terrorism, conspiracy, and crimes against humanity. Machar and his co-accused have disputed the allegations.
The court, presided over by Judge Dr. James Alala Deng, adjourned the session until 28 October 2026 for Machar to continue his defense testimony.