Machar treason trial: Special Court receives audio, video evidence from expert

JUBA — The special court trying suspended First Vice President Riek Machar and seven co-defendants on treason and related charges on Wednesday admitted a series of audio and video exhibits submitted by a South African digital forensic expert, Ratlhogo Peter Calvin Rafadi, as the trial entered its 47^th session on Wednesday.

Rafadi, a digital forensic investigator testifying for the state, presented the materials as part of what prosecutors described as technical evidence linking the accused to the alleged planning and coordination of the March 2025 violence in Nasir, Upper Nile State.

Taking the witness stand, he told the three-judge panel that the recordings and videos were extracted using standard digital forensic procedures from seized electronic devices. He said the files were recovered from multiple sources, including a Samsung Galaxy mobile phone belonging to the first accused, Puot Kang Chol, a suspended minister of petroleum.

According to the expert, the exhibits include written correspondence, audio clips, and short video recordings that prosecutors argue demonstrate communication and mobilisation efforts preceding the Nasir attack.

Among the documents presented was a letter allegedly authored by Machar on March 1, 2025, outlining the formation of a 10-member committee drawn from Nasir and Ulang counties. The committee, the court heard, was tasked with receiving and facilitating the movement of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) from Malakal to Nasir.

Rafadi also submitted a list reportedly compiled by Mam Pal Dhuor naming 38 White Army and SPLA-IO fighters said to have been killed during the March 3 assault on the Nasir military garrison, including White Army commander Col. Tor Gille Thoan.

The court further reviewed an audio recording of Puot Kang Chol speaking during an interview with Radio Miraya FM, where he discussed the extension of elections and criticised what he termed violations of the 2018 peace agreement by President Salva Kiir Mayardit.

In addition, the prosecution tendered a four-minute video allegedly showing Ter Chuol Gatkuoth, described as a White Army leader in Nasir, asking about funds expected to be delivered to fighters. Another clip shown in court reportedly captured Col. Tor Gille Thoan addressing White Army and SPLA-IO elements a day before the garrison was attacked.

Machar and his co-accused face a raft of charges, including treason, crimes against humanity, terrorism, mass murder, and destruction of property. Prosecutors say the charges stem from the March 2025 assault on the Nasir military base that left Majur and dozens of soldiers dead.

The special court is composed of Presiding Judge James Alala, alongside judges Stephen Simon Isaac and Pur Majok. The prosecution team includes 13 state lawyers led by senior officials from the Ministry of Justice, while Machar and the other defendants are represented by a six-member defence team.

Investigators supporting the prosecution include senior security officers and legal personnel from the Internal Security Service.

The eight defendants named in the case are Puot Kang Chuol, Mam Pal Dhuor, Gatwech Lam Puoch, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, Dr Riek Machar Teny, Camilo Gatmai Kel, Mading Yak Riek, and Dominic Gatgok Riek.

The trial continues with the prosecution expected to present additional technical and testimonial evidence in the coming sessions.