The SPLM primary elections in Uror County, one of the three counties predominantly inhabited by the Lou Nuer community in South Sudan’s Jonglei State, have been postponed after riots erupted between supporters of Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin and those of his two rivals during voting on Friday.
The primaries are part of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement’s (SPLM) internal candidate-selection process ahead of its national convention and general elections, scheduled for December 2026.
Biel Lam Pech, the caretaker commissioner of Uror County, told Radio Tamazuj on Sunday that the SPLM delegation overseeing the voting process left the county on Friday following the unrest.
“The reasons behind the high-level committee’s departure from here, from Yuai to Ayod, on Friday were not entirely clear. They informed me that they would first proceed to Ayod County and return after two days. We are expecting them to arrive in Yuai this afternoon, as communicated,” Pech said.
Dr. Marial, who is seeking re-election to the National Legislative Assembly representing Uror, gave his account of how the disturbance began in an interview with Radio Tamazuj.
“Voting had already started, and I was the first person to cast my vote. Other voters then began arriving from Weckol. However, all the votes were going into my ballot box, while the boxes for the other two candidates, Wany and Tang, were receiving no votes. Tang had received only two votes,” Marial said.
He said that the other candidates and their supporters interrupted the process after noticing the voting trend.
“They mobilised crowds, particularly supporters of the third candidate, to prevent people from voting and direct them to another queue where the ballot papers were not registered for voting. This incident caused the dispute,” he said.
Marial is competing against Wany Lam Tuor and Tang Chatim for Uror South Constituency No. 09 in the National Legislative Assembly, a seat he has held since 2010.
An eyewitness who said they had watched the voting in person gave a similar account, claiming that Marial had been leading before supporters of his rivals entered the polling stations and disrupted the process.
According to the witness, voting began in Marial’s home payam, where nearly 80% of voters had cast their ballots in his favour. The witness said Wany Lam Tuor had received one vote, while Tang Chatim had received none at that stage.
The witness alleged that supporters of the rival candidates then entered the polling station and interfered with the remaining voting, which was still under way.
The other candidates, Wany Lam Tuor and Tang Chatim, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Dr. Marial has held several senior government positions in Sudan and South Sudan. Before independence, he served as state minister for international cooperation in Sudan’s Government of National Unity from 2005 to 2006. He later served as minister of regional cooperation in the autonomous Government of Southern Sudan, followed by positions as minister of commerce and industry and minister of information and broadcasting.
After South Sudan gained independence in July 2011, Marial continued as minister of information and broadcasting and served as the government’s spokesperson. In July 2013, President Salva Kiir appointed him minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, a position he held until March 2016, when he was dismissed.
In August 2019, Kiir appointed him presidential adviser and special envoy. He subsequently represented the government in peace talks with opposition groups that had not signed the 2018 revitalised peace agreement.
In April 2021, Marial was appointed minister of presidential affairs, replacing Nhial Deng Nhial. He held the position until November 2023, when Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro was appointed as his successor.
Marial is a senior member of the ruling SPLM and has represented Uror County in the National Legislative Assembly since 2010.
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