By Philip Buda Ladu
High-level Standing Committee (HLSC), tasked with overseeing the implementation of South Sudan’s 2018 revitalized peace agreement, has officially recognized Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) interim leadership.
This endorsement comes after the Minister of Peace Building, Stephen Par Kuol, declared himself interim chairperson in March following the house arrest of the party’s long-time leader and first vice president, Dr. Riek Machar.
The decision was announced at a joint government press statement on Thursday evening, following a meeting of the HLSC chaired by Cabinet Affairs Minister Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, state media reported.
Dr. Lomuro stated that the committee had recognized the “legitimacy and legality of the interim administration of the SPLM-IO,” granting them the full right to nominate members to fill vacancies within the HLSC and other organs of the peace agreement.
He also noted that the position of Vice President within the HLSC had become vacant and that Vice President Josephine Lagu would nominate a replacement.
“Generally also we have agreed on the plan of action that was contained in the strategic response of the government which was issued on the 26th of April, 2025 that we will now continue with the implementation expeditiously as outlined in that plan,” Dr. Lomuro affirmed.
He called upon regional and international communities to support South Sudan in this endeavor and urged institutions of the agreement, including R-JMEC, to refrain from statements contradicting the active implementation of the peace deal.
On his part, Stephen Par Kuol, the interim chairperson of the SPLM-IO, welcomed the government’s decision.
“The SPLM-IO interim leadership was unanimously recognized by the other parties in this committee… We are so grateful to our colleagues from all these other parties, the ITGONU, the SSOA, the OPP, all of them unanimously resolved to endorse and recognize us as the legitimate representative of the SPLM-IO as a party to the R-ARCSS,” he said.
Meanwhile, Michael Ayuen, a representative of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), assured that peace implementation continues despite ongoing challenges.
He clarified that the SSOA remains unified under the leadership of Vice President Josephine Lagu Yanga, who will nominate a replacement for her membership within the HLSC upon official communication.
Internal SPLM-IO Divisions Persist:
Despite this endorsement from the HLSC, the interim leadership of Stephen Par Kuol faces significant internal opposition within the SPLM-IO.
Several SPLA-IO officials have publicly rejected Par’s legitimacy, stating their continued recognition of Dr. Riek Machar and Oyet Nathaniel as the legitimate leaders of the party.
However, SPOLM-IO deputy and acting chairperson Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, while in hiding, still commanders the party loyalists to Dr. Riek Machar, who is under house arrest, in Juba.
The SPLM-IO, a key signatory to the 2018 peace agreement, has been grappling with a major internal split, largely attributed to the political turmoil following renewed violence and the detention of Dr. Machar.
In April, Hon. Oyet Nathaniel, the SPLM-IO deputy chairman, reportedly suspended Stephen Par Kuol and his faction for allegedly conspiring with the government to replace Dr. Machar whom the government claimed it’s investigating him for being in conflict with the law following the flare up of clashes in Nasir County, Upper Nile State in March between government forces and the so-called White Army alleged of being allies with Machar.
However, Par Kuol’s camp dismissed the suspension as unconstitutional and instead appointed him and others to interim leadership positions pending Machar’s release.
The endorsement by the HLSC added a new layer of complexity to the already fractured political landscape of South Sudan, raising questions about the long-term implications for the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement and the stability of the nation.