JUBA – Embattled Interim Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), Stephen Par Kuol, has opposed the use of military tactics, including airstrikes on civilian areas, to resolve South Sudan’s ongoing crisis.
Speaking with conviction, Par, who also serves as the Minister of Peacebuilding in the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity, called on political leaders to prioritize dialogue, emphasizing that lasting peace in South Sudan hinges on the active participation of every citizen.
“You, as a citizen, are a cornerstone of the peace we seek,” Par said during an interview on Akuch Maker’s Power House program on South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation. “It begins with one person, then spreads to two, ten, to communities, and entire regions. Everyone must take part in building peace.”
When pressed about holdout groups and opposition figures who have fled the country, Par, who himself faced brief detention by the government in March, urged these groups to return and engage in negotiations with the Juba administration.
“Let them come back home,” he insisted. “We cannot resolve this conflict on social media, nor by bombing communities, nor by retreating to the bush to wage another war.”
Par stressed the need for calm and reasoned dialogue, saying, “This country needs peace, and peace demands conversation with clear heads. We must free ourselves from this cycle of war and political violence.”
Addressing concerns about SPLM-IO colleagues who fled in March, fearing a government crackdown—most notably Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, the party’s Deputy Chairman—Par claimed he was unaware of their exact locations but urged them to return to Juba.
“When I hear Oyet, he sounds like a ghost lost in cyberspace somewhere,” he remarked. “But this political crisis won’t be solved online, nor will it be settled in the wilderness of South Sudan.”
He added, “Sooner or later, we’ll find ourselves in a capital—whether here in Juba or elsewhere—sitting down to talk. There’s no time to waste. We must start the dialogue now. The interim leadership of SPLM/A-IO in Juba is committed to peace at all costs, because the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) remains the only viable path forward.”
Par sidestepped questions about the arrests of key SPLM-IO figures, including First Vice President Riek Machar and Minister of Petroleum Puot Kang Chol, whose detentions have drawn condemnation from regional and international observers as violations of the peace agreement.
Juba remains a precarious place for SPLM-IO opposition figures, particularly since the killing of SSPDF Major General Majur Dak and 27 of his officers by the White Army, a community militia allegedly aligned with Machar.
