The National Democratic Movement (NDM), a signatory to South Sudan’s 2018 revitalised peace agreement, on Saturday accused the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) of systematically taking positions allocated to opposition parties, calling it a “material breach” of the deal.
In a statement issued after a meeting of its National Executive Committee, the NDM — led by veteran politician Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin — listed several recent actions by the SPLM that it said violated the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
The party said the SPLM had unilaterally removed two NDM-appointed county commissioners in Upper Nile and Unity states — one this month and another in November — and replaced them with SPLM members. It also accused the ruling party of appointing one of its members to an advisory position on gender and social welfare that was reserved for the NDM under the peace agreement.
According to the statement, the commissioner of Panyikang County in Upper Nile State, Mustapha Gai, was removed on Jan. 23 and replaced with an SPLM member. This followed the Nov. 21, 2025, dismissal of Marko Juong Magok Gatluak as commissioner of Mayendit County in Unity State under similar circumstances.
The NDM further cited the removal of an NDM-nominated governor in Jonglei State in February 2025, who was replaced by SPLM member Riek Gai Kok.
Mahjoub Biel Turuk, a senior NDM figure, was dismissed as governor of Jonglei State in March 2025 by presidential decree after serving 10 months in office.
On Friday, the peace monitoring body RJMEC, while briefing the African Union Peace and Security Council, cited unilateral actions by the ruling party, saying the government’s removal of opposition figures from ministerial and legislative positions was eroding the power-sharing arrangement at the heart of the peace deal.
“The grabbing of positions allocated to other parties to the peace agreement by the SPLM-IG constitutes a material breach of the R-ARCSS, which is the source of legitimacy of the current Transitional Government of National Unity,” said Kai Tap Gatchang, the NDM’s spokesman.
The party said its recommendations for changes to its positions within the transitional government, submitted in accordance with the agreement, have gone unanswered — in some cases for more than 43 months.
According to the NDM, these actions violate provisions of the peace deal governing power-sharing ratios and the nominating authority of signatory parties, and risk undermining trust and cooperation.
“These actions and omissions demonstrate a clear and worrying intention to exclude the NDM from meaningful participation,” the statement said.
The party said it had raised the issue at the highest levels of government without any corrective action, adding that it was not “begging for favours” but demanding its “legitimate rights under the agreement.”
The NDM is part of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), a coalition included in the power-sharing government formed under the 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year civil war.
The 2018 peace deal formed a fragile unity government, but implementation has repeatedly stalled amid political disputes and sporadic violence. General elections are scheduled to take place in December 2026.