JUBA – The family of slain SSPDF commander Lt. Gen. Majur Dak who was killed in Nasir County in Upper Nile State, has been blocked from attending the first court hearing in the case against SPLM/A-IO officials over the incident, his daughter said.
Gen. Majur died after local armed youths known as White Army opened fire while he was being evacuated to a United Nations helicopter on 7th March 2025. This came three days after the militia overran a military base in the area in a bloody battle that killed hundreds on both sides.
His daughter Abul Majur Dak took to social media on Monday, September 22, to disclose that her family was denied entry to Freedom Hall – the venue where the trial is underway.
She voiced her frustration over the decision, saying true justice is not being sought if the family is not present.
“Denying access to the victims’ families during the court hearing makes no sense. Who, then, is justice being sought for? Justice that cannot be witnessed by the living is an empty ritual,” she said.
“Justice belongs not to the dead … they have already borne the weight of loss … but to the living who carry the pain, the memory, and the demand for truth. To exclude them is to silence the very voices that give justice its meaning.”
Machar and seven top military and political officials were indicted early this month on serious charges of murder, treason, and crimes against humanity, following the conclusion of an investigation on the fighting in Nasir County.
The SPLM-IO leader and Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol were then suspended from office by President Kiir on September 11, to allow the legal proceedings against them.
