JUBA — The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) led by former first vice president, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, on Wednesday rejected the country’s planned December 22 general elections, accusing the government of pursuing a unilateral electoral process without the consensus and participation of all parties to the 2018 peace agreement.
Regina Joseph Kaba, Interim Deputy Chairperson of SPLM/A-IO, warned that proceeding with elections under what it considers a compromised framework could further destabilize the country.
“The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) formally declares its unequivocal rejection of the unilateral elections proposed by the regime in Juba, as well as the unilateral amendments imposed on the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS),” Kaba said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Kaba also rejected what she described as amendments to the 2018 peace agreement and electoral laws, saying they amounted to the “deliberate dismantling” of critical pre-election prerequisites established as safeguards for free, fair, peaceful, inclusive, and transparent elections.
“This unilateral abrogation constitutes a grave violation of the R-ARCSS. Consequently, any electoral process conducted under this compromised framework—devoid of consensus and the active participation of all signatory parties—is rejected in its totality. Pushing forward with such an exercise is a direct recipe for returning the country to violence.”
Kaba also rejected the government-planned Inter-Party Political Dialogue scheduled for Thursday, September 24, describing the gathering as “political theatre” rather than a genuine effort to resolve the country’s political crisis.
“Furthermore, the SPLM/A-IO categorically rejects the so-called “Inter-Party-Political Dialogue for Peaceful and Democratic Elections,” scheduled by the Juba regime for Thursday, September 24, 2026,” she said.
She said the SPLM-IO viewed the dialogue not as a genuine platform for democratic transition but as a partisan gathering of the government and its selected affiliates, which she alleged was intended to rubber-stamp predetermined outcomes.
“An assembly organized, funded, and hosted exclusively by President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s administration cannot constitute an independent or credible national dialogue; rather, it severely violates the spirit of inclusivity mandated by the R-ARCSS,” she said.
“True state-building requires engaging political adversaries, not convening echo chambers. Gathering allied factions in Juba under regime oversight is merely an exercise in political theatre, not conflict resolution.”
She demanded an immediate release of its leader and former First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, as well as other political detainees.
“The immediate and unconditional release of the SPLM/A-IO Chairman, Commander-in-Chief, and First Vice President of the Republic, H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, alongside all political detainees,” she said.
She called for an inclusive inter-dialogue that guarantees the active participation of all key stakeholders, including genuine non-signatory groups, to the 2018 peace agreement.
“Discussions must be relocated to a truly neutral venue outside the current atmosphere of intimidation and political coercion in Juba. Genuine peace cannot be brokered in an environment controlled by a single faction,” she said.
“To ensure fairness, security, accountability, and the faithful implementation of resolutions, talks must be conducted under robust regional and international mediation, specifically led by IGAD, the African Union, the Troika, and the United Nations.”
She also demanded a neutral venue for political talks and called for mediation involving the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union, the Troika, and the United Nations.
“We call upon the R-JMEC, IGAD, the AU C5, the Troika, and the broader regional and international community to take strict note of these unilateral maneuvers and to intervene decisively,” she said.
“Such actions threaten to irreparably destabilize the fragile peace process and undermine the integrity of any future democratic transition.”
