Former South Sudan First Vice President Riek Machar raised a fresh security concern before the Special Court trying him in Juba on Wednesday, asking judges to consider an urgent complaint involving his defence team. The court heard the matter during its 128th session at Freedom Hall, before adjourning proceedings until 18 November. Machar, who is on trial with seven co-defendants, told the court his defence team had an urgent complaint it wanted to present to the judges. The details of the complaint were not disclosed during the proceedings, and Machar clarified only that it concerned a security matter. ## What happened in court on Wednesday "We have a complaint that we want to bring to the court about the defense. Due to an urgent matter, we think this can be brought before you," Machar told the court, according to [The Radio Community](https://theradiocommunity.org/machar-raises-fresh-security-concern-in-court-6556), which reported the session on Wednesday. Presiding Judge Stephen Simon Binjigwa replied that the court was competent to hear urgent matters, but advised Machar to present the complaint through his legal representatives. "We are a competent court. If you have something urgent, let your advocate bring it to us," Binjigwa said. The exchange was also reported by Radio Tamazuj, whose account of the session was listed among Wednesday's African headlines by [AfricaFrontPage](https://www.africafrontpage.com/today). ## A pattern of security complaints Wednesday's concern follows earlier security complaints raised by the defence over alleged threats against the accused and their lawyers. In September, defence lawyer Geri Raimondo Legge reported the alleged threats, prompting the court to order an investigation and additional protective measures. The judges subsequently directed security personnel implicated in the allegations to stop attending court sessions, and ordered protection for the accused and their lawyers while travelling between detention facilities and the courthouse. Machar later raised allegations of a plot to assassinate him, his co-accused and members of the defence team, describing the trial environment as "toxic". Presiding Judge James Alala Deng later said the court's investigation had been completed and that individuals identified would be referred to the Attorney General and police for further action. The allegations themselves have not been proven in court, and the details of the latest complaint have not been made public. What is established is that security fears have repeatedly interrupted a trial that South Sudan's government and its critics alike regard as a test of the country's fragile peace. ## The Nasir case and the charges Machar and seven co-defendants face charges including murder, conspiracy, terrorism, treason, destruction of public property and crimes against humanity over the March 2025 attack on a military garrison in Nasir, Upper Nile State. Prosecutors allege that the attack killed 257 South Sudan People's Defence Forces soldiers, including their commander, Major General David Majur Dak, and resulted in the destruction or capture of military equipment worth about $58 million. Machar and the other defendants have denied the charges. The trial, which opened in September 2025, has been running for more than a year, with Machar giving evidence in his own defence in recent sessions. Machar remains under house arrest, while the other accused are held at National Security Service detention facilities in Juba. ## Trial adjourned until 18 November The court adjourned proceedings until 18 November to allow for the state funeral of veteran politician and military commander General Joseph Lagu Yanga, who is scheduled to be buried in Juba on Friday. The adjournment means the latest security complaint will not be addressed in open court for at least a week. When the trial resumes, the judges will have to decide how to handle a complaint whose contents have so far been shared only in outline, and whether the protective measures already ordered are enough to keep the proceedings on track. For South Sudan, the stakes go beyond the courtroom. The country is due to hold its first elections since independence on 22 December, and the trial of its most prominent opposition figure has become inseparable from the wider question of whether that vote can take place in a stable political environment.