SPLM-IO loyal to detained First Vice President Dr. Riek
Machar has responded to the removal of 47 of its members from the Transitional
National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), condemning the move as a violation of the
2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
The lawmakers were dismissed on May 15, 2026, days after they staged a walkout in protest an amendment bill linked to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
In a statement issued after an emergency Political Bureau
meeting held on May 17, the party criticized the decision, warning that it
threatens the credibility of the transitional institutions.
“This was a retaliation against them for walking out of the
parliamentary sitting on May 11, 2026, in protest against an Amendment Bill
that is meant to amend the R-ARCSS in a non-inclusive manner,” the statement
stated.
It condemned what it described as a violation of the peace
agreement’s procedures governing the composition and conduct of the
legislature.
“This act by the ITGoNU/SPLM (IG) is a blatant violation of
the removal and replacement procedures of the R-ARCSS,” it asserted.
The party also warned that the role of the TNLA is being
distorted in ways that could weaken the implementation of the peace deal.
Reaffirming the importance of parliamentary independence,
the statement stressed that lawmakers must be free to express dissenting views
without fear of reprisal.
The party called for the immediate reversal of the decision and urged stakeholders to uphold the spirit and letter of the peace agreement.