South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit, who also leads the ruling SPLM, has dismissed and appointed 11 members of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly in a republican decree, affecting positions allocated to the opposition SPLM-IO under the transitional power-sharing arrangement.
The revocations and appointments were made on Jan. 7 under Article 106A(2)(a) of the Transitional Constitution and Section 38(1) of the Interpretation of Laws and General Provisions Act of 2006.
The country’s bicameral legislature has 650 members, including 550 in the lower house, the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, and 100 in the upper house, the Council of States.
Under the terms of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, the National Legislature includes representatives from the ruling SPLM party, opposition groups including SPLM-IO, SSOA, other parties, and former detainees.
In decrees seen by Radio Tamazuj, Kiir removed Joseph Malwal Dong, Kuong Dak Wie, Sandra Bona Malwal, Wieu Kun Kuiyang, Stephen Bol Ley and Hassan Zaid Kinnga. Others removed include Zainab Khamis Lorumu, Gatkuoth Wat Joar, Pech Nyawele Bol, Zandia Julli Madit and Jambiel Maani Jambiel.
All of the dismissed members of parliament are members of the SPLM-IO faction loyal to detained First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, who is facing treason charges in a special court in Juba.
Malwal is the SPLM-IO focal person in Juba and a member of the party’s political bureau.
In another decree, Kiir appointed new members to the assembly representing the SPLM-IO interim leadership led by Peacebuilding Minister Stephen Par Kuol. That faction broke away from the SPLM-IO in April 2025 following the detention of party leader Riek Machar.
The appointed 11 members include Elizabeth Kanyang Andrew, Nuer Diang, Buom Tai Gatluak, Zechariah Ater Joseph and Santino Riak Maker. Others include Makuach Teny Youk and Charles Wiyual Yoh, among other members of parliament.
President Kiir’s camp recognizes the interim SPLM-IO faction as the legitimate representative of the party within the government, arguing that the move is necessary to advance implementation of the 2018 peace agreement and prepare for elections scheduled for December 2026.
Analysts say the changes in the assembly appear aimed at removing Machar loyalists from the legislative body, a move they say could deepen internal divisions between the camps of Kiir and Machar.
Edmund Yakani, a civil society leader and political observer, told Radio Tamazuj that replacing Machar loyalists in parliament with loyalists of Peace Minister Stephen Par Kuol poses a troubling political trend ahead of South Sudan’s elections.
According to Yakani, the developments raise the risk of a return to full-scale war. “Evidently, the absolute split among members of the SPLM/A-IO into loyalists of Dr. Riek Machar and Stephen Par Kuol, coupled with renewed military clashes in some areas between the SSPDF and the SPLA-IO, is dangerous,” he said.
Yakani said the situation is most likely to spiral out of control in the coming period without urgent intervention from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union to rescue the 2018 peace agreement.
In a separate statement dated Jan. 12, the SPLM-IO Political Bureau loyal to Machar in Juba said the unilateral removal of three of its cabinet ministers last week and 11 of its members from the Transitional National Legislative Assembly violated the 2018 peace agreement.
The group said it believes the removals are part of a broader effort by President Kiir to purge the opposition SPLM-IO from power structures.
The statement was signed by Joseph Malwal Dong, the SPLM-IO’s chairperson for foreign affairs and the focal person for its political bureau.
Last month, the presidency and cabinet approved amendments to key provisions of the 2018 peace agreement, delinking the December 2026 general elections from the permanent constitution-making process, a national census and other institutional reforms.
The amendments also included the removal of provisions stating that the 2018 peace agreement takes precedence over the constitution.
The 2018 peace deal, signed by Kiir, Machar and other political leaders, has faced repeated delays, including missed election timelines. Elections have been postponed several times and are now scheduled for December 2026, despite objections from Machar loyalists who say presidency-led consultations excluded them.