SPLM-IO Splits: Peace Minister Stephen Par Kuol Now Interim Leader After Machar’s Detention

BREAKING NEWS
SPLM-IO in Crisis: Stephen Par Kuol Tapped as Interim Leader Amid Mashar’s Detention!

BREAKING NEWS – JUBA, April 9, 2025

A political shake-up is unfolding in South Sudan.

In a dramatic move today, a group of senior SPLM-IO officials in Juba have endorsed Peacebuilding Minister Stephen Phar Kuol as the interim leader of the party—replacing long-time chairman Dr. Riek Mashar, who remains under house arrest.

But this endorsement has sparked deep division.

Top SPLM-IO leaders—including Interior Minister Angelina Teny, Mining Minister Martin Abucha, and Secretary-General Regina Kaba—boycotted the meeting, signaling internal resistance.

The faction backing Kuol includes powerful figures like Federal Affairs Minister Lasuba Wango, Council of States Speaker Deng Deng Akon, and former Deputy Finance Minister Agok Makur.

Analysts warn that this could be the beginning of Mashar’s removal as First Vice President—a position he was granted under the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.

This is not the first split in the SPLM-IO. In 2016, after violent clashes in Juba, Taban Deng Gai stepped in and replaced Mashar in a similar fashion.

Speaking to the press, Kuol said the meeting focused on recommitting to peace, reviewing the role of Deputy Chairman Oyet Nathaniel, and forming a functional interim leadership while Mashar remains in detention.

What happens next could reshape South Sudan’s political landscape.

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