By Matik Kueth
The Acting Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), Oyet Nathaniel, has sounded an alarm over what he described as the “deliberate collapse” of South Sudan’s peace agreement, blaming both regional and international guarantors for standing idle as the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) crumbles.
In a statement issued on Friday, Nathaniel accused the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union (AU), and the international community of enabling President Salva Kiir’s unilateral moves, which he claims violate the core terms of the peace deal.
“The Guarantors have failed to protect the people of South Sudan and the R-ARCSS from President Salva Kiir. The culture of impunity and atrocities is entrenched in South Sudan, and silence from the international community only fuels it,” Nathaniel stressed.
His criticism followed a wave of controversial presidential decrees issued Wednesday night, which saw several senior SPLM-IO members dismissed from their government and parliamentary roles.
The move has sparked uproar within the Machar-led SPLM-IO faction, deepening existing fractures and stalling the peace process ahead of the 2026 elections.
President Kiir has since moved to replace the ousted SPLM-IO figures with individuals loyal to Stephen Par Kuol, a suspended member of the SPLM-IO now seen by many as aligned with Kiir’s regime.
Nathaniel argued that Par’s camp, which lacks any credible military backing, is being used to legitimize a power grab.
“This is not a reformation of the peace process; it’s a hijacking. Replacing real opposition with puppets only masks a return to authoritarianism,” he emphasized.
He accused Kiir of “dismantling the peace agreement article by article” and cautioned that such actions are pushing the country back toward civil war.
“The peace process has all but collapsed under the watch of international mediators. Attempts to abrogate the Agreement or its non-implementation shall mean the continuation of conflict in the country,” he warned.
Nathaniel also highlighted the continued house detention of SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar, who has reportedly faced movement restrictions since 2020 and is now effectively confined.
“Dr. Riek Machar Teny was exiled in 2016 for two years, denied freedom of movement since 2020, and finally placed under illegal house detention in 2025,” he stated.
He added, “The Guarantors and the International Partners have the legal and moral obligation to release Dr. Riek Machar Teny.”
With SPLM-IO in disarray, Machar sidelined, and the government co-opting opposition positions, Oyet expressed serious doubts about whether the upcoming 2026 elections can be held fairly, or at all.
The Stephen Par-led faction, while still operating under the SPLM-IO banner, is viewed by many observers as politically compromised and militarily irrelevant.
Meanwhile, Machar’s loyalists, still influential in various regions, are being steadily removed from national institutions.
As the international community remains largely silent, Oyet warned that its inaction may prove costly.
“The failure of diplomatic efforts has left the country vulnerable to political violence, human rights violations, and abuse,” he said.
The fragile peace once seen as a turning point now hangs by a thread, with growing fears that South Sudan could again descend into war, this time under the watchful eyes of a passive international community.