Mr Nyang was suspended by Dr. Riek Gai Kok, the Governor of Jonglei State, on April 17, 2025, who accused the former commissioner of displaying sympathy for incarcerated SPLM-IO Chairman and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar.
In a detailed statement issued on April 21, 2025, SPLM-IO Acting Chairman Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, who also serves as the First Deputy Speaker of the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (RTNLA), argued that the suspension was invalid because it was issued by an “illegitimate governor” whose appointment violates the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
The SPLM/A-IO contends that Mr. Gai’s appointment as Jonglei State Governor on March 7, 2025, through a presidential decree, contravenes the Responsibility Sharing Agreement outlined in the R-ARCSS.
Citing the agreement, Nathaniel said Jonglei State was allocated to the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), under which Majuob Biel Turuk was appointed as governor.
“The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), tasked with overseeing the implementation of the peace agreement, echoed this concern in a letter to the President of South Sudan on April 11, 2025 (Reference: RJMEC/c/2025/1/126, Paragraph 3 (d)),” read part of the statement.
“The letter described Gai’s appointment as a ‘serious political violation’ by the Incumbent Transitional Government of National Unity (ITGoNU), noting that the dismissal of the SSOA-nominated governor and his replacement with an ITGoNU nominee occurred without consultation or concurrence with SSOA,” it added.
The SPLM/A-IO’s statement also highlighted a parallel issue in Upper Nile State, where Lt. Gen. James Koang Chuol was appointed governor through a presidential decree on March 19, 2025.
This appointment, according to the Acting Chairman, similarly violates the R-ARCSS, as Upper Nile State was allocated to the SPLM/A-IO, with James Udok Okuch appointed as governor.
“RJMEC, in the same April 11 letter (Paragraph 3 (f)), criticized Chuol’s appointment as another “serious political violation” by the ITGoNU, pointing out that the dismissal of the SPLM/A-IO-nominated governor and his replacement with an ITGoNU nominee was done without consultation or agreement with the SPLM/A-IO,” Nathaniel referenced.
He emphasised that “two wrongs cannot make right,” arguing that the illegitimate appointments of Gai and Chuol strip them of any legal authority to issue directives, including the suspension of officials like Tutjiek.
The country’s biggest opposition group categorically rejected the suspension of Tutjiek and any other officials by these governors, asserting that their actions lack legitimacy under the R-ARCSS. The statement further declared that the procedures for appointments and replacements within the RTGoNU were clearly outlined in the R-ARCSS and the Responsibility Sharing Agreement, rendering the governors’ actions unlawful and non-binding.
Labelling Dr. Gai and Lt. Gen. Koang as “war governors,” the SPLM/A-IO argued that their continued occupation of the governorships of Jonglei and Upper Nile States undermines the peace process and violates the agreement’s principles.
