In a brief but pointed message addressed directly to Kiir, who also chairs the SPLM, Agel Machar warned that targeting the Speaker could have wider political consequences within the party’s leadership.
“Dear Comrade Chairman, stop whatever is happening to Comrade Nunu Kumba. Those after her are effectively after your seat. TRUST ME. Please pay attention,” Machar said.
The warning comes days after the SPLM Parliamentary Caucus announced it had unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in Kumba during a meeting chaired by Kiir on Tuesday.
According to a statement issued after the meeting, caucus members “deliberated and discussed internal matters pertaining to the administration and management of the parliament” before resolving to withdraw their confidence in the Speaker.
“The Caucus members unanimously declared a vote of ‘No Confidence’ in Rt. Hon. Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), Rt. Hon. Cde. Jemma Nunu Kumba,” the statement read.
The party further indicated that lawmakers are now awaiting the nomination of a new Speaker by the SPLM’s top leadership, signalling a likely leadership change in the country’s highest legislative body.
However, the SPLM did not provide specific reasons for the drastic move, leaving room for speculation and internal political intrigue.
Sources within parliament, who spoke to Sudans Post on condition of anonymity, said the decision may be linked to a series of allegations surrounding the Speaker’s leadership and management of parliamentary affairs. Details of those allegations remain unclear.
Kumba, a senior SPLM figure and former Governor of Western Equatoria State, has served as Speaker since the reconstitution of the transitional parliament under the 2018 peace agreement.
