A group of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) members in South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal State have abandoned detained leader Riek Machar and pledged support to interim chairman Stephen Par Kuol, deepening divisions within the party.
The defection comes after SPLM-IO members in Juba last week appointed Par Kuol, the minister of peacebuilding, as interim leader—a move boycotted by senior party officials. Par Kuol said he would serve only until Machar’s release.
Machar, South Sudan’s first vice president and a key figure in the 2018 peace deal, has been under house arrest in Juba since March 26 amid rising political and security tensions.
Analysts warn the rift could further destabilize the fragile peace process.
Daniel Akot Akot, SPLM-IO chairperson in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, told Radio Tamazuj that the state’s Liberation Council met in Aweil and endorsed Par Kuol to ensure continued peace efforts.
“All SPLM-IO members under my leadership in Aweil support the interim leadership led by Stephen Par Kuol,” Akot said. “A small faction opposes it, but most executives, assembly members, and grassroots supporters back this move for peace and unity.”
Bol Akuar Gamar, Northern Bahr el Ghazal’s culture, youth, and sports minister and an SPLM-IO member, acknowledged the leadership vacuum since Machar’s detention but stressed that any permanent replacement requires a party convention.
“Machar remains our chairman, but an interim body is necessary because a political group cannot function leaderless,” Akuar said. “We don’t even know the whereabouts of Deputy Chairman Oyet Nathaniel or Secretary-General Regina Joseph.”
However, Aweil West County Commissioner Abuol Akok Akok, also an SPLM-IO member, distanced herself from the dispute, saying administrators should not engage in politics.
“This is a personal issue; we follow the government’s directives,” Abuol said.