The faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) loyal to suspended First Vice President Riek Machar has rejected the registration of the newly formed “IO Party”, distancing itself from the move announced by the Political Parties Council (PPC) on June 30, 2026.
The new party emerged from a breakaway group led by Peacebuilding Minister Stephen Par Kuol, which sought to remove Machar as SPLM-IO chairperson on April 9, 2025, and subsequently abandoned the SPLM-IO name.
In a statement issued on July 1, 2026, SPLM-IO Political Bureau focal person Eng. Joseph Malwal Dong said the movement remains a military-political organisation and cannot be registered as a political party until the unification of forces under the 2018 peace agreement is completed and a national convention is held.
Dong stressed that the registration of the IO Party is unrelated to SPLM-IO, arguing that Stephen Par, who does not command an armed force, is free to establish his own political organisation. He added that the move effectively confirms the defection of Stephen Par and his allies from the SPLM-IO and their departure from the peace agreement framework.