A South African digital forensic investigator on Friday presented electronic evidence that prosecutors say links suspended First Vice President Riek Machar and seven co-accused to the alleged procurement of weapons connected to the Nasir incident.
Ratlhogo Peter told the court he conducted a technical analysis of electronic data, communications and records related to the alleged acquisition of arms, operational intelligence processes, organised militia strategies and the dissemination of real-time documents to international stakeholders.
The testimony was delivered during the 45th session of the prosecution’s final witness, led by prosecutor Gabriel Mading, at Freedom Hall in Juba.
Peter said his examination focused on the interpretation of digital evidence submitted to the court by Major General Basilio Thomas Wani, the lead police investigator in the case.
He told the court that the material was obtained from WhatsApp messages, photographs and videos extracted from smartphones, SIM cards, memory sticks, GPS location data and laptops belonging to the eight accused.
“While I was in South Africa on June 25, 2025, the investigative officer, Major General Basilio Thomas Wani, together with other witnesses, handed over a sealed diplomatic bag,” Peter said. “It was sealed with a diplomatic special lock with a serial number.”
He said that upon opening the diplomatic bag, he found smartphones, SIM cards, memory sticks and laptops, accompanied by a letter from South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting assistance from a private company to conduct a forensic digital analysis.
Peter said he created what he described as an illustration of “copying the brain” of the devices and examined the data loaded into his system, guided by 40 keywords provided by Major General Wani.
“My findings from the devices were as follows: a clear demonstration of arms procurement and logistics, operational intelligence flow, a well-coordinated militia plan, and the sharing of real-time documents with some international role players,” he said.
He added that after completing the analysis, he submitted a report that was authenticated by South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, as well as the South Sudanese embassy in South Africa.
“I arranged for the phones to be brought back to the Republic of South Sudan to the investigating officer, sealed again in a diplomatic bag protected with a seal tag and accompanied by a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation,” Peter said.
He told the court that he flew to Juba on August 28, where he officially submitted his final report to Major General Wani, with members of the investigative committee present as witnesses.
The court adjourned the session until Monday, February 2, 2026, when it is expected to continue hearing the presentation of the South African digital forensic expert.
Machar and his co-accused face charges including murder, conspiracy, terrorism, treason, destruction of public property and crimes against humanity.
Prosecutors allege that SPLA-IO forces allied with the White Army killed 257 South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) soldiers — including commander General David Majur Dak — and destroyed or seized military equipment valued at about 58 million dollars during an attack on the Nasir garrison in March 2025.
The trial comes amid previously undisclosed diplomatic exchanges between Juba and Washington. In a confidential letter dated May 12, 2025, South Sudan’s government asked the United States to support the prosecution of Machar as part of a list of requests made after the country agreed to accept third-country deportees from the US, according to documents seen by Radio Tamazuj.
The government also sought the lifting of US sanctions on a former vice president, though details of any commitments by Washington remain unclear.