Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, Acting Chief of Staff of the SPLA-IO and Deputy Chief of Defence Forces of the SSPDF, on Monday delivered his first defence testimony before the Special Court hearing the Nasir incident case, denying any involvement in the fighting and describing what he called an unlawful arrest, months of harsh detention, and torture.
As the fourth accused in Case No. 15533/2025, Gen. Duop told the court that his statement would address his arrest, detention, investigation, the charges against him, and his concluding observations.
“It is often said that the first casualty of war is truth, but in this matter, I wish to live by the truth and die for the truth,” he told the court.
The General said he was arrested on 4 March 2025 at Bilpam, the South Sudan Army Headquarters, describing the arrest as arbitrary and contrary to the provisions of the Revitalized Peace Agreement.
He argued that, given his position as Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, any decision to arrest him required consensus within the Joint Defence Board and consultation between the President and the First Vice President, as provided under the peace agreement.
He testified that the then Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Paul Nang Majok, did not inform him of the charges against him at the time of his arrest.
He said he was ordered into military custody, his phones were confiscated, and he was transferred under armed escort to the Military Intelligence maximum prison at the Ground Forces barracks, known as Jamus.
According to Gen. Duop, he instructed his bodyguards not to resist or react during the arrest.
The fourth accused told the court that conditions inside the prison were inhumane. He said prisoners slept on the floor without bedding, food was insufficient, and he was denied medical treatment despite suffering from hypertension.
He also alleged that prison guards sometimes prevented him from using the toilet for several days.
“The chains around my legs reminded me of footage I saw in movies about the 19th-century African slave trade,” he testified.
Gen. Duop further told the court that while in detention he was joined by three bodyguards of First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and later by another of Machar’s guards, saying they experienced the same treatment.
He also said he met five officers accused in an alleged coup attempt, whom he claimed had remained in detention without appearing before a court.
Addressing the court on his interrogation, Gen. Duop said he repeatedly maintained his innocence and insisted he had not been caught committing any offence.
He testified that he reminded investigators he was entitled to the presumption of innocence and objected to what he described as degrading treatment.
“I am a General; should the authorities want to kill me, they must do so while I am standing upright with my full dignity,” he told the investigation committee, according to his testimony.
The General also described what he called psychological intimidation by a military intelligence officer, who allegedly told him he could die, lose his family or become mentally unstable while in detention.
Gen. Duop said he warned the officer that the arresting authorities would be held responsible should anything happen to him.
Reflecting on his detention, he told the court that he questioned whether South Sudan had become governed by “Jungle Law” and whether the President was aware of the treatment of detained soldiers.
He also listed property he said was seized during his arrest, including official military vehicles, mobile phones, firearms, a command stick, military insignia, personal belongings and documents.
Turning to the investigation, Gen. Duop told the court that investigators questioned him about whether he had ordered armed youth, referred to by investigators as the “White Army”, to attack SSPDF positions in Nasir.
He said he rejected the allegation.
“My answer was that I was not involved in the Nasir incident. I explained that I received information regarding the incident through the official command channel and on social media, just like anyone else in Juba City,” he testified.
He said he then proceeded to explain to investigators his understanding of the tensions and fighting in Nasir.
At the conclusion of Monday’s proceedings, the court adjourned the case until Wednesday, July 22, when Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam is expected to continue presenting his defence testimony.
