Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Senior SPLM-IO leaders in Juba, including Interior Minister Angelina Teny, have rejected Stephen Par’s leadership claim and reaffirmed that Dr. Riek Machar remains the legitimate chairman of the party.
This comes nearly two months after Machar was placed under house arrest. Shortly after his detention in March, Stephen Par and a small group of SPLM-IO members held a meeting at Palm Africa Hotel in Juba, where they declared Par as the interim party leader.
However, in a statement released on Monday, May 19, Angelina Teny and other top members of the SPLM-IO Political Bureau said they do not recognize Par’s faction.
They emphasized that Machar remains the official chairman of the SPLM-IO and rejected any notion of an interim leadership.
“We reiterate that SPLM/A (IO) has not had a change of leadership; it is, therefore, still headed by Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, with the rest of the structures intact,” the statement read.
The leaders also criticized attempts to divide the movement into separate categories, calling such efforts baseless.
“The project to divide SPLM/A (IO) into (4) categories [SPLM/A (IO) in detention, SPLM/A (IO) outside the country, SPLM/A (IO) in hiding, and SPLM/A (IO) in government] is an attempt to justify an action that is unjustifiable,” the statement said.
“There is only one SPLM/A (IO) under the Chairmanship of Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, any attempt to create an interim leadership can only be treated as a clear case of defection, just like the defections that took place prior to April 9, 2025.”
The statement, signed by 18 senior SPLM-IO leaders and members of the Political Bureau, stressed that the peace agreement remains intact but is facing its most difficult and damaging test since its signing.
The leaders further called for the immediate release of Dr. Machar and other detained SPLM-IO members and urged party members serving in government and peace implementation institutions to remain committed to their duties.
For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan Follow Africa-Press
