South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has appointed a member of his own party as Upper Nile state governor, according to a decree read on state media. The move appears to breach a peace deal under which the role should be selected by the party of First Vice President and opposition leader Riek Machar.
In 2018, Kiir and Machar signed a peace agreement ending five years of civil war. However, implementation of the deal has been slow, and bouts of fighting have continued to kill and displace large numbers of civilians.
According to the decree read on state TV late on Wednesday, Kiir replaced Gen. James Odhok Oyai with Lt. Gen. James Koang Chuol, a loyal SSPDF general responsible for training and former rebel commander under Machar. Odhok was appointed to the role as part of the 2018 power-sharing deal in January 2023.
“The appointment of Gen. James Koang as a governor for Upper Nile, replacing James Odhok Oyai, is unilateral, and it is a violation of the peace agreement. There was no prior consultation,” said Puok Both Baluang, Press Secretary in Machar’s office, in an interview with Radio Tamazuj.
“From our side, we believe this country needs the implementation of the peace agreement, but the other party lacks the political will to implement it. We believe all these violations, which only occur in the states governed by the SPLM-IO, are an attempt to abrogate the agreement,” he added.
Edmund Yakani, a renowned civil society member who has been actively advocating for the implementation of the peace agreement, stated that Kiir’s decision violates the Revitalized Agreement.
“The move clearly demonstrates that the R-ARCSS [Revitalized Agreement] is slowly dying or expiring. The future of the political transition under the Revitalized Agreement is becoming increasingly doubtful and not possible,” he said.
President Kiir’s decision is likely to cause paralysis in the implementation of the peace deal, which is meant to culminate in a national election at the end of 2026.
The appointment of a loyal general to be in charge of Upper Nile State comes amid escalating fears of a return to civil war, as tensions between Kiir and Machar deepen.
The SSPDF, backed by Ugandan troops since last week, has been launching airstrikes on a number of areas in the Upper Nile region, including Nasir, in an attempt to retake the town from the White Army, a loosely organized militia linked to First Vice President Riek Machar.
The White Army seized the town of Nasir following hours of clashes with the SSPDF on March 4.