{"id":81336,"date":"2025-08-14T10:51:57","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T10:51:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/kiir-ousts-oyet-and-mps-in-purge-of-machar-allies"},"modified":"2025-08-14T11:06:32","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T11:06:32","slug":"kiir-ousts-oyet-and-mps-in-purge-of-machar-allies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/kiir-ousts-oyet-and-mps-in-purge-of-machar-allies","title":{"rendered":"Kiir Ousts Oyet and MPs in Purge of Machar Allies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. <\/strong><\/span>President Salva Kiir removed First Deputy Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, and a string of legislators aligned with the Sudan People\u2019s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) faction loyal to detained First Vice President Riek Machar, in what political observers say is the most extensive purge of Machar\u2019s allies since his detention in March.<\/p>\n

The move was announced through a presidential decree read on state-run South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday night. Oyet, who also serves as Acting Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM\/A-IO, has been in exile for five months following Machar\u2019s arrest and house detention earlier this year. Kiir appointed John Otto Marino to replace him in the capacity of an Eastern Equatoria State representative.<\/p>\n

Oyet has long been one of the most outspoken critics of the Kiir administration, challenging its handling of political disputes and peace implementation. However, his absence from the country has effectively sidelined his voice in the legislature since March.<\/p>\n

The decree also stripped Gai Mayen Luk of his parliamentary seat. Like Oyet, Gai has been in exile since Machar\u2019s detention and has remained an unyielding critic of Kiir\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

In a parallel shake-up, Kiir dismissed Deng Deng Akoon as Speaker of the Council of States. Deng is regarded as one of the most senior SPLM-IO officials still loyal to Machar.<\/p>\n

Another prominent casualty of the purge is Farouk Gatkouth, the SPLM-IO chief whip in parliament, who was known for challenging Kiir\u2019s policies in heated legislative debates.<\/p>\n

The sweeping changes extended further, with the removal of several other SPLM-IO figures: Regina Joseph Kaba, the party\u2019s Secretary General; Matata Frank, a former SPLM-IO governor of Yei River State during the opposition\u2019s self-declared \u201c21 Bush States\u201d period; and Daniel Juol Nhomngek, the MP representing Cueibet County in Lakes State.<\/p>\n

While no official explanation was given for the dismissals, the targeted nature of the decree underscores the widening rift between Kiir\u2019s SPLM faction and Machar\u2019s loyalists. The reshuffle comes amid mounting tensions within South Sudan\u2019s fragile transitional government, formed under the 2018 peace deal to end years of civil war.<\/p>\n

The latest purge effectively consolidates Kiir\u2019s influence in both the National Legislative Assembly and the Council of States, potentially weakening Machar\u2019s political foothold as the country inches toward elections slated for December 2024\u2014though the timetable remains in doubt amid ongoing security and political challenges.<\/p>\n

The dismissals also followed the removal of Pal Mai Deng, Machar\u2019s ally, who was serving as the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation.<\/p>\n

Kiir subsequently appointed James Mawich Makuac, a member of a breakaway faction of the opposition SPLM-IO led by Stephen Par Kuol, as a replacement, a move critics say violates the 2018 peace agreement and exacerbates political divisions.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. President Salva Kiir removed First Deputy Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, and a string of legislators aligned with the Sudan People\u2019s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) faction loyal to detained First Vice President Riek Machar, in what political observers say is the most extensive purge of Machar\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":81335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,12],"tags":[233],"class_list":["post-81336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-policy","tag-south-sudan"],"yoast_head":"\nKiir Ousts Oyet and MPs in Purge of Machar Allies - South Sudan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"President Salva Kiir removed First Deputy Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, Oyet Nathaniel Pier ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/kiir-ousts-oyet-and-mps-in-purge-of-machar-allies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kiir Ousts Oyet and MPs in Purge of Machar Allies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"President Salva Kiir removed First Deputy Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, Oyet Nathaniel Pier ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/kiir-ousts-oyet-and-mps-in-purge-of-machar-allies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Sudan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-14T10:51:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-14T11:06:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2025\/08\/sm_1755156895.941297.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"864\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"486\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/kiir-ousts-oyet-and-mps-in-purge-of-machar-allies#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/kiir-ousts-oyet-and-mps-in-purge-of-machar-allies\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Kiir Ousts Oyet and MPs in Purge of Machar Allies\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-14T10:51:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-14T11:06:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/kiir-ousts-oyet-and-mps-in-purge-of-machar-allies\"},\"wordCount\":485,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/kiir-ousts-oyet-and-mps-in-purge-of-machar-allies#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2025\/08\/sm_1755156895.941297.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"South-Sudan\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/kiir-ousts-oyet-and-mps-in-purge-of-machar-allies#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/kiir-ousts-oyet-and-mps-in-purge-of-machar-allies\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/kiir-ousts-oyet-and-mps-in-purge-of-machar-allies\",\"name\":\"Kiir Ousts Oyet and MPs in Purge of Machar Allies - 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