In a statement issued Friday to mark the fifth anniversary of the SSPM/A, Rolnyang framed the movement’s evolution in three phases, culminating in what he described as a new stage of operational preparedness. He said the organisation had completed mobilisation and recruitment, followed by organisation and training, and has now entered what he called “readiness for confrontation.”
“For the past four years, we endured without logistics, yet we persevered. Now, we are equipped and prepared,” Rolnyang said. “The SSPM/A is no longer an online movement or movement of words as vilified by the regime; it is now a force with teeth, ready to bite when the moment arrives.”
The statement is one of the clearest public declarations yet from the opposition commander that his forces are prepared for military action. Rolnyang said the group’s objective was not revenge or political appointments, but to remove what he called dictatorship and establish a new political order.
“Our mission is not to seek revenge or positions, but to dismantle dictatorship, end corruption and tribalism, and build a NEW SOUTH SUDAN where justice, equality, dignity and democratic principles are the foundation of governance,” he said.
Rolnyang also launched a direct attack on the government’s plan to conduct elections in December 2026, arguing that neither the legal nor the practical conditions exist for a credible vote within seven months.
He described the proposed polls as “nothing more than a calculated facade,” listing what he said were unresolved obstacles, including lack of funding, logistical shortcomings, absence of a permanent constitution, failure to conduct a national census, unresolved constituency boundaries, continued displacement of refugees, insecurity, and the detention of political opponents.
“It is legally and practically untenable to claim that genuine, credible, and democratic elections can be organised within seven months when the fundamental prerequisites remain wholly unmet,” he said.
According to Rolnyang, the election plan is intended to justify another extension of the current transitional government rather than transfer power through democratic means.
“The regime’s electoral rhetoric is nothing more than a stratagem to secure yet another illegitimate extension of its tenure, with the clear intention of clinging to power indefinitely,” he stated.
He further accused authorities in Juba of undermining the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement through arrests and political repression targeting opposition figures. Such actions, he said, had weakened political pluralism and damaged the legitimacy of any future electoral process.
“The regime’s manoeuvres are neither democratic nor lawful; they are a calculated attempt to perpetuate authoritarian rule under the guise of constitutionalism,” Rolnyang said.
The SSPM/A leader then appealed to citizens to rally behind his movement and its allies under the United People Alliance (UPA), saying opposition groups were prepared to remove the current administration “by all necessary means possible.”
“We urge the people of South Sudan to join the SSPM/A/UPA to liberate themselves from the dictatorship,” he said. “The SSPM/A and other opposition forces under the umbrella of the United People Alliance are ready and committed to rescue the people of South Sudan from the dictatorial rule by all necessary means possible.”
