The military command of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), led by detained First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, has thrown its weight behind Regina Joseph Kaba, formally endorsing her appointment as Acting Interim Deputy Chair of the SPLM/A-IO amid a deepening leadership dispute within the opposition movement.
The decision was made during a high-level command meeting on Thursday, which included top commanders from several SPLA-IO sectors and divisions.
The commanders adopted the resolutions of the SPLM/A-IO Political Bureau meeting of August 31st, including the appointment of Kaba to the acting position.
The endorsement comes days after Acting Chairman and Commander-in-Chief Oyet Nathaniel Pierino suspended Kaba and seven other senior officials.
In an order dated August 31st, Oyet accused the officials of gross misconduct, undermining the movement’s constitutional principles, defying Political Bureau decisions and attempting to establish parallel structures that weakened his office.
He also accused some members of trying to diminish the authority of his office while the movement remains without its detained leader, Machar.
Kaba rejected Oyet’s suspension and responded with a counter-order suspending him from his positions as Deputy Chairman and Acting Chairman.
She declared herself Acting Deputy Chairperson and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLA-IO, escalating the dispute into a direct contest over the movement’s political and military chain of command.
However, the latest military command resolution appears to strengthen Kaba’s camp.
The command reaffirmed Lt. Gen. Peter Thok as the only Acting Chief of General Staff and declared its allegiance to the SPLA-IO chain of command, insisting that directives issued by the Commander-in-Chief must be respected and implemented.
According to a statement seen by The Nile Witness, Col. Lam Paul Gabriel, SPLA-IO spokesperson, stated that the command had accepted the Political Bureau’s resolutions and formally recognized Kaba as Acting Interim Deputy Chair.
He said the movement remained committed to peace and unity despite the leadership dispute.
“The Command accepts and adopts the resolutions of the Political Bureau meeting held on August 31, 2026, and acknowledges the appointment of Hon. Regina Joseph Kaba as the Acting Interim Deputy Chair of the SPLM/A-IO,” Col. Gabriel said.
The command also instructed the public and media to treat only statements issued by the SPLA-IO military spokesperson as the official position of its forces.
It further directed commanders across sectors, divisions and independent units to communicate the resolutions to their forces and ordered strict compliance.
The command additionally banned SPLA-IO forces from using the “Viva” slogan, while reiterating that the movement remains committed to pursuing what it described as genuine peace for South Sudan.
The leadership confrontation has unfolded against the backdrop of Machar’s detention since March 2025.
With Machar unable to exercise his leadership directly, Oyet had been serving in an acting capacity, creating an interim power structure that has now come under intense strain.
The rival suspension orders by Oyet and Kaba have deepened questions over who legitimately controls the SPLM/A-IO.
The latest command decision, however, signals that a significant section of the military leadership is backing the Political Bureau’s decision to elevate Kaba while reaffirming Lt. Gen. Peter Thok as acting military chief.
