SPLM-IO appoints five Acting County Commissioners in Western Equatoria

YAMBIO – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) has appointed five acting county commissioners in Western Equatoria State, according to an official order issued by the party’s leadership.

The appointments were made by Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, Acting Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM-IO, in accordance with powers vested in him under the party’s 2015 Constitution and resolutions of its national conferences.

The order, dated Monday, December 15, 2025, states that the appointments take immediate effect from the date of signature.

Those appointed are Col. Alex Karne John Maktab as Acting Commissioner of Tombura County, Col.

Martin Alfonso Raphael as Acting Commissioner of Maridi County, Brig. Gen. Charles Nasuna Kilopa as Acting Commissioner of Mvolo County, Brig. Gen. Benjamin Sabit Mukubi as Acting Commissioner of Mundri East County, and Brig. Gen. Michael Monday Dijaro as Acting Commissioner of Mundri West County.

According to the SPLM-IO, the decision aligns with resolutions adopted during the 2014 SPLM/SPLA-IO Second National Conference (Pagak I), the 2016 Khartoum Political Bureau Resolution, and the party’s 6th National Conference held on December 6, 2020.

Political observers view the move as part of the SPLM-IO’s efforts to strengthen its administrative and governance structures in areas allocated to the party under the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), amid ongoing challenges in the implementation of the peace deal.

Under the R-ARCSS power-sharing arrangement, the five counties fall under the SPLM-IO’s allocation.

However, governance in Western Equatoria State has remained contentious following a presidential decree that removed and dismissed the former governor, Lt. Gen. Alfred Futuyo Karaba, whose whereabouts have not been publicly disclosed.

Western Equatoria has in recent years experienced political instability, insecurity, and administrative gaps, prompting repeated calls from residents for effective local leadership to improve governance, security, and basic service delivery.

Copies of the appointment order were circulated to SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny, Hon. Regina Joseph Kappa, the newly appointed commissioners, and relevant party organs. By press time, the leadership of the ruling SPLM-IG in Western Equatoria State had not issued an official response to the appointments.

Rt. Hon. Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, who also serves as First Deputy Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, signed the order in his capacity as Acting Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM-IO.