Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The SPLM-IO under interim chairman Oyet Nathaniel has rejected the resolutions of an “Expanded Presidency Meeting” that announced no further extensions of South Sudan’s transitional period, citing a lack of inclusivity and participation.
In a statement released following a Political Bureau meeting on Wednesday, the SPLM-IO said the meeting did not involve its leadership, including suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, who remains in confinement and is facing trial.
“The High-Level Standing Committee for the Implementation of the Agreement does not include representatives of the SPLM/A (IO), as it was reconstituted immediately after the arrest of Dr. Rick Machar Teny-Dhurgon to purge it of the members of SPLM/A (IO), the statement read.
“Therefore, the Extended Presidency Meeting lacked inclusivity. As such, decisions made by the meeting are not binding, and the other Parties cannot amend the R-ARCSS without the participation and consent of the SPLM/A (IO) as one of the major Parties signatories to the R-ARCSS,”
The party stressed that any amendments to the peace agreement cannot be made without the participation and consent of SPLM-IO and accused other parties of attempting to use the current political crisis to dismantle the R-ARCSS, rather than genuinely preparing for elections.
The Extended Presidency Meeting on 10 December 2025 brought together leaders of political parties signatory to the Revitalised Agreement (R-ARCSS) and members of the High-Level Committee for its implementation.
One key resolution proposed amending the peace agreement to allow elections to be held by 22 December 2026, even if some preparatory activities are not completed.
Speaking at a State House briefing on Friday, Minister of Presidential Affairs Africano Mande Gedima said the presidency had unanimously approved amendments to allow the elections.
He added that political grievances would be addressed through dialogue, and pending provisions of the peace agreement that cannot be completed before the polls would be paused until after the elections.
The meeting was chaired by President Salva Kiir, with Vice Presidents Dr. James Wani Igga (Economic Cluster), Josephine Lagu Yanga (Social Cluster), Taban Deng Gai (Infrastructure Cluster), and Rebecca Nyadeng De-Mabior (Gender and Youth Cluster) in attendance.
Other attendees included the SPLM, a SPLM-IO faction under Stephen Par Kuol, the South Sudan Opposition Alliance, Former Detainees, and other opposition parties.
The SPLM-IO also claimed that following Dr. Machar’s arrest, the High-Level Committee no longer includes its representatives.
Based on these concerns, SPLM-IO says the meeting’s decisions are not binding and has distanced itself from all resolutions adopted during the Extended Presidency Meeting.
The statement was signed by Hon. Eng. Joseph Malwal Dong, Focal Person of the SPLM-IO Political Bureau and Chairperson of the party’s National Committee for Foreign and International Relations.
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