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

Activist Edmond Yakani has called for the reinstatement of 47 SPLM-IO Members of Parliament whose seats were revoked after they staged a peaceful protest against proposed amendments to the 2018 peace agreement, saying their return to parliament would serve as a sign of reconciliation and renewed commitment to the letter and spirit of the  deal.

Yakani’s appeal comes after the Council of Ministers reversed plans to delete Articles 8.2 and 8.3 of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), provisions that establish the supremacy of the peace agreement over national laws and legal processes.

Speaking in Juba, Yakani who is the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO),welcomed the government’s U-turn, describing it as a positive step toward respecting the letter and spirit of the peace agreement.

He argued that the same spirit of reconciliation should now extend to the lawmakers removed from parliament.

“We feel the same decision made by the Council of Ministers should also affect the revocation of the 47 MPs of SPLM-IO who waged a peaceful protest against the amendment,” Yakani said, adding that reinstating the legislators would demonstrate commitment to reconciliation and respect for the peace deal.

The lawmakers were dismissed after walking out of a parliamentary sitting on May 11 in protest against amendments they said were introduced in a “non-inclusive manner.”

Earlier, Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomuro reportedly accused those who protested the tabling of the amendments of being loyalists of suspended First Vice President Riek Machar. According to parliament spokesperson Oliver Mori Benjamin, the removal of the MPs followed a request submitted to President Salva Kiir by the SPLM-IO faction led by Stephen Par Kuol.

The dispute has deepened divisions within the SPLM-IO, which split into rival factions following the detention and suspension of Machar. One faction is aligned with Oyet Nathaniel, while another is led by Stephen Par Kuol, whose group has been recognized by the government’s High-Level Standing Committee as the legitimate interim leadership of the opposition party.

Yakani further appealed to the Transitional National Legislative Assembly to halt any remaining amendments to the peace agreement and refer them back to the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), arguing that Article 8.4 of the R-ARCSS requires consultation and approval from signatories before amendments can proceed.

He urged political leaders to “go back to the drawing board” and fully implement the 2018 peace agreement in preparation for credible elections, warning that mistrust and unilateral decisions risk undermining South Sudan’s fragile transition from conflict to peace.