South Sudan’s main opposition party has appointed a new interim leader amid the continued house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar.
Stephen Par Kuol, minister of peacebuilding in the transitional government, was named interim chairman during a consultative meeting in Juba on Wednesday.
Machar, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) leader, was detained last month by President Salva Kiir, triggering unrest within the party.
Addressing the council, Kuol said the party remains committed to peace, unity, and reconciliation despite its leader’s detention.
He distanced the SPLM-IO from exiled deputy chairman Nathaniel Oyet Pierino, calling for leadership decisions to be made within the country.
Losuba Ludoru Wongo was appointed deputy chairman, while Agok Makur Kur was named secretary-general in the party’s leadership reshuffle.
“The SPLM-IO will not be run remotely,” Kuol stated, emphasizing that leadership must be rooted where the government and party operate.
Kuol also reiterated the party’s commitment to the 2018 peace agreement, calling it the only path to lasting peace in South Sudan.
He demanded Machar’s immediate release, warning that his detention undermines the fragile unity government and peace process.
South Sudan, rich in oil but scarred by conflict, gained independence from Sudan in 2011 before descending into civil war in 2013.
The 2018 peace deal brought relative calm, but its implementation has been slow and fragile amid growing tensions.
Recent clashes in Upper Nile’s Nasir County between the White Army militia and government forces have heightened fears of renewed conflict.
Observers warn that Machar’s continued house arrest could further destabilize the already fragile political landscape.