The Vice President for Service Cluster, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol. [Photo: Courtesy]

A faction of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), led by Josephine Lagu, announced on Thursday that it has withdrawn its support for Hussein Abdelbaggi as the Vice President representing the alliance in the Presidency.

SSOA is a coalition of eight political parties that co-signed the 2018 peace agreement that ended South Sudan’s cycles of civil war.

In a statement released on Thursday, the group headed by Josephine Lagu revealed that the decision to withdraw confidence was communicated to the appointing authority in November 2024.

As a result, SSOA Leadership Council emphasized that H.E. Hussein no longer represents or speaks on behalf of the coalition, the statement announced.

The 2018 accord outlines the structure of the transitional government, including the appointment of four Vice Presidents.

Article 1.8.3 of the R-ARCSS specifies that if a Vice President’s position becomes vacant for any reason, the respective party that nominated the individual shall appoint a replacement.

SSOA assured the public that these provisions were clear and urged them not to be swayed by rumours aimed at manipulating the institutions of the agreement.

The development follows a power struggle within the South Sudan Patriotic Movement (SSPM) under the SSOA umbrella, which prompted an exchange of punitive letters from its top leaders; Vice President Abdelbagi and Presidential Advisor Costello Garang.

The rift started on November 23 when the SSPM party held a meeting and dismissed Chairman Dr Garang after passing a vote of no confidence against him.

The political group then announced Vice President Abdelbagi as its interim chairperson.

Meanwhile, Dr. Costello Garang issued a statement on the same day – denouncing his dismissal and suspending Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi on charges of insubordination.

According to him, no provision in the party’s constitution allows the acting deputy chairperson or non-party members to dismiss the chairperson.

The statement was signed by Leadership Council members; Hon. Josephine Lagu Yanga (PDM), Dr. Costello Garang Riing (SSPM), Dr. Lam Akol (NDM), Hon. Gen. Bapiny Montuil Wijang (SSLM), Hon. Julius Tabuley Daniel (NAS), Hon. Denay Jock Chagor, and Hon. Isaac Moro Jenesio (SSUM).

SSOA reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the principles of the revitalized peace agreement and ensuring its proper implementation during the transitional period.

For his part, Gabriel Kiir, the spokesperson of Vice President Abdelbagi, said they will respond to the statement soon.

“This document that you have seen was issued at the alliance level. It is not about the office of the Vice President; it is about the alliance, which wrote to the Vice President’s office,” he told Eye Radio.

“I think these letters have just surfaced, and I’m sure there will be a response at the party level within the alliance. I am not in a position to predict what the response might be, but certainly, something will be done about it in a short time.”