Opposition alliance rejects Hussein’s reappointment, citing risk to peace deal

JUBA — The South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) on Friday demanded the immediate reversal of Hussein Abdelbagi Akol’s reappointment as vice president, warning the unilateral move threatens the country’s 2018 peace agreement.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit reinstated Abdelbagi on Feb. 27 to fill the vice-presidential quota allocated to the SSOA. He replaced SSOA leader and chair of the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) Josephine Lagu, daughter of Anyanya-I liberation hero Joseph Lagu.

In a statement, the alliance said it was bypassed in the decision-making process, reiterating it had previously withdrawn confidence in Abdelbagi and formally declared he no longer represents the coalition.

“SSOA is concerned about the implications this action may have on the role and status of the Alliance within the implementation mechanisms of the Revitalized Agreement. SSOA Leadership Council demands that amends are made to revoke such a decision,” the coalition’s statement reads.

Abdelbagi was expelled from his political party, the South Sudan Patriotic Movement (SSPM), in February 2025 after he attempted in November 2024 to remove the group’s leader, Costello Garang, a presidential advisor.

According to the SSOA, this dismissal automatically terminated his membership in the broader coalition, whose legal and political structure is based exclusively on its constituent parties.

“Given that membership in SSOA is derived from and anchored on its constituent parties, this dismissal automatically terminated his membership within the Alliance. We assumed in good faith that his removal in February 2025 from the post of Vice President was in response to our demand,” the statement said.

In late 2024, SSOA leadership wrote to Kiir to disown Abdelbagi as their representative at the presidency, reaffirming the withdrawal of confidence in a public declaration that was sent to Sudans Post in December.

The alliance stated Friday its decision remains “valid and unchanged.”

The bloc noted it had assumed Abdelbagi’s initial removal from the vice presidency in early 2025 was a direct response to its demands.

“It was therefore with great surprise and concern that SSOA learned of his re-appointment as Vice President on 27^th February 2026 on SSOA ticket without any consultation with or recommendation from the Alliance,” the statement added.

The dispute is rooted in administrative disagreements within the SSOA over its allocated vice-presidential position under the peace agreement’s power-sharing terms. Initially failing to agree on a consensus nominee, the bloc asked Kiir to select a candidate from within their ranks.

Kiir subsequently appointed Abdelbagi, a native of the president’s home region of Bahr el Ghazal. Later, when the alliance unified enough to recommend Josephine Lagu as a replacement, she assumed the post.

It remains unclear what prompted Kiir to reinstate Abdelbagi, a decision that has renewed tensions within the opposition bloc.

The leadership struggles highlight a history of divisions within the SSOA, formed in 2017 as a coalition of eight opposition parties ahead of negotiations that led to South Sudan’s revitalized peace agreement.

A major schism occurred in August 2018 when the National Salvation Front (NAS), led by General Thomas Cirilo, and a faction of the SPLM Former Detainees (SPLM-FDs), led by Pagan Amum, refused to sign the final peace pact and withdrew from the bloc.

Since that departure, the remaining coalition has struggled with competing leadership claims. In 2024, an internal crisis erupted when Abdelbagi declared himself the leader of the alliance, operating with parallel leadership structures and deepening divisions.

Under the revitalized peace agreement, the executive branch is balanced to ensure representation following a civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people. Kiir leads a transitional unity government that includes imprisoned First Vice President Riek Machar and four other vice presidents.

Because the transitional government relies on strict quotas and consensus-building, unilateral alterations to high-level appointments can trigger political crises.

The SSOA reaffirmed its commitment to the peace agreement but urged all parties to adhere to the pact.

The group warned that unilateral decisions affecting executive representation risk damaging trust in the peace process and undermining the institutions tasked with steering South Sudan toward democratic elections.