From sports to politics and rebellion: Who is Lt. Gen. Wilson Deng Kuoirot?

JUBA – South Sudan faces another rebellion two months after Nhial Deng Nhial quit the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Government (SPLM-IG) to form the South Sudan Salvation Movement (SSSM), citing a lack of leadership direction.

Lt. Gen. Wilson Deng Kuoirot— the former Deputy Chief of General Staff (Operations) of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and former South Sudan’s Ambassador to South Africa, declared the formation of the National Uprising Movement/Army (NUM/A) to challenge the transitional government led by President Salva Kiir.

On 28 December 2025, Deng issued a sweeping statement highlighting the “failure” of South Sudan’s First Republic (2011–2025) and calling for the dissolution of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU).

The statement, expansive in scope and uncompromising in tone, places the military stalwart squarely back into the country’s contentious political arena, this time not as a uniformed commander or diplomat, but as leader of a rebel group.

Deng’s declaration frames South Sudan’s post-independence trajectory as a project that has collapsed under the weight of economic mismanagement, insecurity, and what he terms “systemic governance failure.” In his view, the state’s inability—or unwillingness—to implement key provisions of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) marked the beginning of the end.

He singles out Chapter IV of the Agreement, which outlines reforms in resource, economic, and financial management, arguing that its transparency and accountability clauses were ignored in favour of patronage-based oil marketing and opaque financial practices.

According to Deng, the consequences have been severe: a collapsed economy, runaway inflation, unpaid civil servants, shuttered embassies abroad, and deepening poverty. On security, he accuses the Juba-based leadership of forfeiting the state’s monopoly on the use of force, alleging that communities have been armed against one another while the national army remains ill-equipped and selectively deployed.

On governance, he argues that the transitional government’s mandate expired in 2022 and that subsequent extensions—most recently to December 2026—amount to an illegal usurpation of popular sovereignty, accompanied by a crackdown on civil liberties and political space.

The statement goes further, asserting that South Sudan’s First Republic has not only failed but effectively ceased to function. He paints a picture of an executive branch operating without regular cabinet meetings, ministers detained or in exile, and critical decisions taken by an unelected inner circle around President Salva Kiir.

From this diagnosis flows his prescription: the dissolution of the R-TGoNU, the establishment of a lean interim administration led by a new chief executive for 24 months, and a technocratic approach to economic stabilization, security sector reform, constitution-making, and elections.

Perhaps most controversially, Deng outlines a pathway that begins with a call for President Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar to step aside voluntarily—supported, he says, by elders, clergy, civil society, women, youth, and other societal groups—and escalates to a nationwide uprising should that call be refused. He announces the formation of the National Uprising Movement (NUM) and its armed wing, the National Uprising Army (NUA), urging members of existing armed groups and “patriotic elements” within the SSPDF to join what he describes as an “armed Intifadha.”

But who is Deng?

Wilson Deng Kuoirot rose through the ranks of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army during the long years of the liberation struggle and its aftermath. By the time South Sudan gained independence in 2011, he was a senior officer entrusted with significant responsibility. Serving as Deputy Chief of General Staff (Operations) from around 2010 to 2013, Deng occupied one of the most sensitive positions in the newly formed national army, tasked with overseeing military operations during a volatile transition period.

Deng’s public profile took an unexpected turn from barracks to sports fields. In 2015, he became the founding President of the South Sudan National Olympic Committee (NOC), leading a successful campaign for international recognition. In August of that year, the International Olympic Committee granted South Sudan full NOC status during its 128th Session in Kuala Lumpur—a symbolic breakthrough for the world’s youngest nation.

Under Deng’s stewardship, South Sudan made its Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games, a moment widely celebrated as a rare unifying milestone amid political turmoil. Deng consistently framed sport as a vehicle for peace, unity, and national pride, a message that resonated beyond athletics.

His subsequent appointment as Ambassador to South Africa in November 2020 further reinforced his image as a trusted state representative.

For more than two years in Pretoria, Deng worked to manage bilateral relations and engage the South Sudanese diaspora before being replaced in 2023. Until recently, his career appeared to chart a steady arc within officialdom—military command, international sports diplomacy, and foreign service.