Oyet names veteran military commander as Unity State governor in direct challenge to rival faction

JUBA — South Sudan opposition leader Oyet Nathaniel Pierino has appointed veteran SPLA-IO commander Maj. Gen. John Turuk Khor as the movement’s military governor of Unity State, replacing Dhoal Koryom Lingling as an increasingly bitter leadership dispute spreads from the political wing into the opposition’s military and territorial structures.

In an internal order dated Sept. 14, 2026, Oyet, who continues to assert his position as acting chairman and commander-in-chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-in-Opposition (SPLM/A-IO), cited provisions of the movement’s constitution to appoint Turuk with immediate effect.

The decision amounts to a direct challenge to the rival leadership camp led by Regina Joseph Kaba, which has rejected Oyet’s authority and previously moved to restore Dhoal after Oyet removed him.

Turuk, a Leek Nuer from Rubkona County, is one of the SPLA-IO’s most influential field commanders in Unity State. He commands Division 4A under Sector Two and is based at Tong, west of Rubkona and northwest of Bentiu.

His forces operate mainly across rural Rubkona, Guit and parts of Koch County, areas where the SPLA-IO retains a significant military presence despite government control of Bentiu and other major administrative centres.

Unlike Dhoal, whose authority as governor depended largely on a political appointment, Turuk already commands an established military structure on the ground. His elevation therefore gives Oyet’s latest order greater significance as the struggle over the SPLM-IO leadership increasingly becomes a contest over which faction can secure the allegiance of armed commanders.

The appointment comes two weeks after a long-running disagreement within the Machar-led opposition movement erupted into an open leadership confrontation.

Oyet on Aug. 31 suspended Kaba and seven other senior officials, accusing them of gross misconduct, insubordination and attempts to undermine the movement’s leadership. Kaba and some Political Bureau members aligned with her rejected the decision and responded by declaring Oyet suspended from both his substantive position as deputy chairman and his acting roles as chairman and commander-in-chief.

Kaba’s camp subsequently instructed political, military, administrative and financial structures of the movement not to implement directives issued by Oyet.

The dispute became more complicated when senior SPLA-IO commanders endorsed the Political Bureau resolutions and recognized Kaba as acting interim deputy chairperson, while reaffirming Lt. Gen. Peter Thok as the acting chief of general staff.

Oyet has rejected those decisions as unconstitutional and maintains that, as Machar’s deputy, he remains the legally constituted official responsible for leading the movement while its chairman is unable to exercise his duties.

Both camps nevertheless continue to declare loyalty to Machar, who remains the substantive chairman and commander-in-chief of the SPLM/A-IO but has been detained in Juba since March 2025.

Dhoal emerged as one of the most outspoken supporters of the Political Bureau position after the dispute became public.

Although Oyet himself appointed Dhoal as the SPLM-IO’s military governor of Unity State in April, Dhoal later rejected Oyet’s continued leadership and publicly claimed that the order suspending him had come directly from Machar.

Dhoal did not explain how Machar communicated the alleged instruction from detention, and the claim has not been independently verified.

The assertion is particularly sensitive because the competing factions have increasingly invoked Machar’s authority to justify their actions while offering different accounts of what the detained opposition leader wants.

After Dhoal sided with the Kaba-led camp, Oyet moved to remove him. Kaba’s faction rejected the dismissal and reinstated Dhoal, setting up competing claims over the SPLM-IO’s parallel administration in Unity State.

The appointment of Turuk is Oyet’s latest attempt to overturn that decision.

It also raises the stakes significantly because Turuk controls forces rather than simply an administrative structure.

The Division 4A commander has maintained a strong military presence in northern Unity State for years and has previously clashed politically and militarily with state authorities over attempts to remove SPLA-IO forces from areas around Bentiu and Rubkona.

If Turuk accepts and implements the appointment, the decision could provide a clearer indication of where important frontline commanders in Unity State stand in the wider SPLM-IO leadership dispute.

Unity State is particularly important to the movement because some of the SPLA-IO’s most established forces remain deployed there. Government forces dominate Bentiu, county headquarters, major roads and other urban centres, while opposition units retain influence across significant parts of the rural hinterland.