A breakaway faction of South Sudan’s main opposition group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), has officially registered as the IO Party, the Political Parties Council (PPC) announced.

The registration, confirmed on Tuesday, grants legal recognition to the faction led by Peacebuilding Minister Stephen Par Kuol.

The group split from the main SPLM-IO following the detention of opposition leader and First Vice President Riek Machar in Juba in March 2025.

PPC Chairperson James Akol Zakayo said the faction was among five new political parties granted full registration after meeting the required legal, financial, and regulatory standards under the Political Parties Act.

The other registered parties include the National Democratic Movement (NDM) led by Dr. Lam Akol, the People’s Liberal Party (PLP), the South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC), and the Revive South Sudan Party (RSSP).

“The Council has formally recognised and recorded the structural transition of the ‘SPLM-In-Opposition’ to its newly approved legal nomenclature, the IO Party,” the PPC stated.

This brings the total number of legally recognised political parties in South Sudan to 36.

The move formally separates Stephen Par’s group from Riek Machar’s SPLM-IO, one of the key parties to the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement.

The faction emerged in April 2025 after senior officials aligned with Par announced an interim leadership following Machar’s arrest.

Machar remains in detention facing treason charges.

The registrations come as South Sudan prepares for its first national elections since independence, scheduled for December 22, 2026.

June 30 was the deadline for parties intending to contest the polls to complete registration, though the law allows continuous registration.

While the government insists the election will proceed on schedule, concerns remain over funding shortages, delays in implementing key peace agreement provisions, and the overall readiness for a credible vote.