SPLM-IO MPs who were dismissed after protesting proposed amendment to 2018 peace deal|Courtesy

A faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) has condemned the removal of 47 of its members from the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), describing the move as a violation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

SPLM-IO has remained divided into rival factions since the house arrest of First Vice President and party leader Dr. Riek Machar last year. One faction is led by Oyet Nathaniel, while another group is aligned to Par Kuol, with both sides claiming interim leadership of the party.

According to parliament spokesperson Oliver Mori Benjamin, the revocation of the lawmakers followed a request by SPLM-IO splinter leader Par Kuol, who is based in Juba.

President Salva Kiir later consented to the request, resulting in the dismissal of the MPs on Tuesday.

In a press statement dated 17 May 2026, the Political Bureau aligned to the SPLM-IO faction under Oyet Nathaniel said the lawmakers were removed after they walked out of a parliamentary sitting on 11 May in protest against a proposed amendment bill to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

The statement said the lawmakers opposed what it described as a “non-inclusive manner” of amending the peace agreement.

“The Political Bureau condemns the unilateral removal of forty-seven (47) members of SPLM (IO) from the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, for this act by the ITGONU/SPLM (IG) is a blatant violation of the removal and replacement procedures of the R-ARCSS,” the statement signed by Eng. Joseph Mawal Dong, designated focul person of the political Bureau  and Chairperson of  Foreign Affairs and International Relations (SPLM-IO), partly reads.

The group further argued that the dismissals interfere with the mandate of parliament under the peace agreement, which requires the TNLA to support legislation that facilitates transitional reforms.

“It has now become obvious that the TNLA no longer supports the Agreement by enacting legislation that can assist the transitional processes and reforms,” the statement added.

The faction also described the removals as retaliatory and unconstitutional.

“The Political Bureau condemns the retaliatory removal of members of the TNLA, as this act is dictatorial, and it works against the separation of powers,” the statement said.