Cabinet nominates VP Nyandeng to assume Machar’s role

JUBA — South Sudan’s Council of Ministers has endorsed Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior to temporarily assume leadership of the governance cluster, following the suspension of First Vice President Riek Machar, a move that has renewed debate over the power-sharing provisions of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.

The decision was taken during an extraordinary cabinet meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir, as the government sought to address the leadership gap created by Machar’s absence while he faces an ongoing criminal trial.

Speaking after the meeting, Minister of Cabinet Affairs Martin Elia Lomuro said the cabinet resolved that Nyandeng, a member of the Former Detainees (FD) who heads the Gender and Youth Cluster, would chair the governance cluster on an interim basis, with technical support from his ministry.

“With regards to the governance cluster, in the absence of the First Vice President, the Council resolved that the Vice President for the Gender and Youth Cluster should chair the governance cluster, with the support of the Minister of Cabinet Affairs,” Lomuro said.

Machar, who is also the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–In Opposition (SPLM-IO), has been suspended from his duties as First Vice President while standing trial on charges including murder, treason and crimes against humanity linked to the March 2025 Nasir garrison incident.

The case, which has already gone through at least 34 court sessions, was recently adjourned after testimony from the prosecution’s fifth witness, with proceedings set to resume on January 5, 2026.

His absence has triggered political sensitivity because the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) explicitly allocates the position of First Vice President to the SPLM-IO.

Under Chapter I of the agreement, which governs the structure of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity, the executive arrangement provides that the First Vice President is to be nominated by the SPLM-IO, anchoring the post to the party rather than to an individual appointment at the discretion of the presidency.

This provision has made Machar’s suspension and the cabinet’s interim arrangement a closely watched issue, as any permanent reassignment of the role outside the SPLM-IO would require either a formal amendment to the peace agreement or a nomination by the party itself.

The governance cluster, which Machar chairs under the agreement, is a key pillar of the transitional government.

It oversees reforms in public administration, rule of law, institutional restructuring and coordination of key peace agreement benchmarks, including constitutional reforms, the unification of forces and preparations for national elections.

Nyandeng’s temporary endorsement is being presented by the government as a continuity measure rather than a replacement, aimed at preventing paralysis within the executive at a time when several transitional tasks remain incomplete. However, analysts say the move signals a glaring potential breach of the agreement.