JONGLEI, March 27, 2025 — Political tensions surged in Nyirol County as Commissioner James Bol Makuey faced a ban from his office and was urged to leave immediately, following the house arrest of SPLM-IO leader and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar on Wednesday.
The power-sharing arrangement under the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) allocated Nyirol, traditionally an SPLM-IO stronghold, to President Salva Kiir’s SPLM. The decision has fueled local discontent.
Bol Jal, Nyirol County’s information director, told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that SPLM-IO members and local youth demanded the commissioner’s immediate departure. “This morning, a group of people from SPLM-IO and local youth asked the commissioner to return to Juba immediately and that he was no longer welcome in the SPLM-IO area,” Jal said.
Community leaders intervened to prevent violence, granting the commissioner time to prepare his departure. “The commissioner is a son of the area. So local leaders de-escalated the tension to avoid any bloodshed and said the commissioner should be given time to prepare to leave. As we speak, the commissioner is at his residence,” Jal added.
Jonglei State’s information minister, Nyamar Lony Thichiot, stated she was unaware of the unfolding events, while state SPLM-IO secretary-general Michael Bol Gatdor said he had not been briefed on the developments.
