The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the governing party of South Sudan, has launched a membership registration and renewal exercise in Western Equatoria state ahead of general elections scheduled for December 2026.
The exercise was launched in Yambio on Tuesday by Western Equatoria Governor and SPLM state chairperson Badagbu Daniel Rimbasa, bringing together party officials and supporters from the state’s 10 counties.
The gathering included county commissioners, county SPLM chairpersons, members of the state secretariat, representatives of the women’s and youth leagues, veterans, members of the executive and parliamentary caucuses, and other party officials and supporters.
Several party members renewed their membership, while others registered as new members.
Rimbasa described the exercise as a milestone that would help the party establish an accurate membership database and strengthen its structures from the state level to the grassroots.
“Today is a historic day for Western Equatoria State as we have launched the SPLM membership registration and renewal,” Rimbasa said.
He thanked members from the 10 counties for attending and urged party structures to use the exercise to promote unity, mobilisation and peaceful political participation ahead of the elections.
Lona Boda, deputy SPLM chairperson in Western Equatoria, called on party leaders at county and grassroots levels to strengthen the movement, avoid internal divisions and promote unity.
She said party leaders should listen to the concerns of communities and remain responsive to their needs.
Lona also reiterated the SPLM’s stated vision that “nobody should go back”, urging members to work together to advance the party’s objectives.
Manaseh Doboyi, secretary-general of the SPLM in Western Equatoria, said all party members across the state’s 10 counties were required to register.
He said registration would confirm party membership and take place at boma, payam, county and state levels, alongside payment of the party’s monthly subscription.
Doboyi said SPLM members who had registered in Juba for documentation purposes would also have to register in Western Equatoria, regardless of their place of origin.
He also said President Salva Kiir Mayardit had been endorsed as the SPLM’s presidential candidate for the December 2026 elections and urged party members to support his candidacy.
The registration and renewal exercise is expected to continue across Western Equatoria as the SPLM seeks to expand and consolidate its grassroots structures ahead of the elections.
The SPLM is the dominant party in South Sudan, with Kiir serving as both president and party chairman. The planned elections are part of a political transition under the 2018 peace agreement, although preparations have faced delays and political disagreements.
and then