The South Sudan People Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLM-IO) interim leader Stephen Par Kuol has called on President Salva Kiir and the group to respect power sharing deal.
Par made the statement this week after the SPLM-IO interim leadership meeting on the implementation and challenges in the peace agreement.
Addressing media after the meeting, Par accused the South Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement in Government (SPLM-IG) of violating the powering sharing agreement.
According to Par the SPLM-IG under President Salva Kiir has started to appoint its own members to positions meant for SPLM-IO.
Meanwhile according to the 2018 peace agreement signed among parties, several positions were allocated to different parties.
In violation of the above President Salva Kiir started to decreed in SPLM-IG members to the positions meant for SPLM-IO as well as other parties hence a violation especially the house arrest of Dr. Riek Machar.
As matter of concern, SPLM-IO interim chairperson Stephen Par Kuol called on President Kiir and the group to respect the agreement and return all positions grabbed to the parties.
Among the few positions from SPLM-IO by the SPLM-IG are governorship in Upper Nile, some ministries and county commissioners.
“We urge the R-TGoNU and the SPLM-IG leadership to respect the responsibility sharing arrangement as stipulated in chapter I of the R-ARCSS by returning all the SPLM-IO executive portfolios which they have taken in the state and county governments” Par said in a statement.
The group called upon the president to implement the long overdue inclusivity by appointing the nominees of the SPLM-IO interim leadership to the vacant and abdicated positions in the R-TGoNU executive and the transitional National legislature
Par underlined a call for observance of permanent ceasefire and halt of the indiscriminate aerial bombardment of civilian home state, training centers and cantonments site to give dialogue and confidence building a chance.
The SPLM-IO leadership further called on the government to support the institutions auxiliary to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in December 2026.
On March 26, 2025, the chairman of SPLM/A-IO, the First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, was placed under house arrest in Juba, which raised widespread concern, with many viewings it as a provocative action that could escalate violence in the country.
In a consultative meeting held on April 9, 2025, the faction named Stephen Par Kuol as interim chairman, with LasubaWango as deputy interim chairman and Agok Makur as secretary-general.
