A group of senior SPLM-IO party members in Juba on Wednesday endorsed Stephen Par Kuol, the country’s peacebuilding minister, as the party’s interim leader, replacing detained chairman Dr. Riek Machar.
Kuol will serve until Machar is released from house arrest. However, the meeting to establish the interim leadership was largely boycotted by top SPLM-IO officials, including Interior Minister Angelina Teny, Mining Minister Martin Abucha and Secretary-General Regina Kaba.
The faction supporting Kuol includes Federal Affairs Minister Lasuba Wango, Council of States Speaker Deng Deng Akon and former Deputy Finance Minister Agok Makur. Analysts say the controversial move could lead to Machar’s removal as first vice president, a position created for him under Article 1.7.2 of the 2018 Revitalized Agreement.
This marks the second major rift within Machar’s party. In July 2016, then-chief negotiator Taban Deng, now vice president, replaced Machar after deadly clashes in Juba.
Addressing reporters after the meeting at a hotel, Kuol said discussions focused on peace commitments, the status of deputy chairman Oyet Nathaniel and the formation of interim leadership amid Machar’s detention.
“The SPLM-IO reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, both in letter and spirit,” Kuol said. “We believe this agreement is the sole pathway to lasting peace and reconciliation among South Sudan’s diverse communities.”
He called for Machar’s immediate release and an end to military clashes between government forces and SPLA-IO fighters.
“The National Liberation Council urgently calls for the immediate release of SPLM-IO Chairman Dr. Riek Machar Teny and all comrades detained following recent clashes in Nasir involving armed civilians and the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces,” Kuol said. “This detention undermines the principles of peace and dialogue essential for our nation’s recovery.”
He added: “The SPLM-IO leadership urges parties involved in ongoing military offensives to create an environment conducive to peaceful dialogue. The SSPDF’s advance toward Ulang County, particularly efforts to redeploy in Nasir Town, must halt to allow political solutions.”
Regarding Nathaniel, Kuol said the Juba-based group had cut ties with him.
“We delink ourselves from Hon. Nathaniel Oyet Pierino and henceforth resolve to treat him as former deputy chairman and commander-in-chief,” he said. “This decision is informed by the fact that SPLM-IO headquarters has been in Juba since the unity government’s formation. The party cannot be led by self-exiled leaders—decisions are made where the government is established, not remotely.”
Kuol announced the interim leadership: himself as chairperson, Losuba Ludoru Wongo as interim deputy and Agok Makur Kur as interim secretary-general.
When asked if the decision aligned with the 2018 peace agreement or amounted to a coup, Kuol dismissed the suggestion.
“The decision is in line with the agreement. The NLC is the lawmaking body of SPLM-IO, so it is legitimate and constitutional,” he said. “Is this a coup? A coup against whom? Our chairman remains Dr. Riek Machar Teny until the next convention. We have resolved a leadership crisis caused by his detention and the desertion of other leaders.”
On Monday, Nathaniel suspended Kuol and three others, accusing them of conspiring with President Salva Kiir to oust Machar. Kuol called the suspension “the joke of the year.”
Since Machar’s detention, several senior SPLM-IO members have fled the country or gone into hiding. Tensions escalated after Kiir placed Machar under house arrest on March 26 following clashes in Upper Nile state that killed a general and several soldiers.
South Sudan’s government sought military support from Uganda, with Defense Minister Jacob Oboth confirming Kiir’s March 10 request to avert a security crisis.
The rift coincides with a two-year extension of South Sudan’s transitional period, delaying elections until December 2026.
Regional concerns over instability prompted an African Union delegation to visit Juba last week, though they were barred from meeting Machar. The visit followed mediation efforts by regional bloc IGAD, led by Kenyan envoy Raila Odinga, who said his request to meet Machar was denied.