SPLM-IO’s acting leader Oyet travels to Washington to meet U.S. officials

JUBA — The acting leader of South Sudan’s main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) has traveled to the United States to meet with U.S. officials following an invitation from congressional leadership, two officials familiar with the itinerary said.

Oyet Nathaniel departed from Addis Ababa for Washington late on Thursday. His departure followed a year-long stay in Nairobi, prompted by heightened political tensions in South Sudan.

The visit marks a significant diplomatic push by the opposition movement to draw international attention to South Sudan’s fragile political landscape. The SPLM-IO is particularly focused on raising awareness about the ongoing trial and detention of the group’s leader and the country’s First Vice President, Riek Machar.

“He has been invited by members of the U.S. Congress to hold consultations in Washington,” one opposition official told Sudans Post, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“The visit will focus on briefing policymakers on the current political and security situation in South Sudan and the challenges facing the peace agreement, especially the detention of the chairman and commander-in-chief,” the official said.

South Sudan has struggled to implement a 2018 revitalized peace agreement that formally ended a five-year civil war, a conflict that killed an estimated 400,000 people.

The fragile power-sharing arrangement in Juba has repeatedly stalled over disagreements regarding the unification of the national army and preparations for long-delayed democratic elections.

The United States has historically been a key diplomatic player in South Sudan, backing its 2011 independence and sponsoring the 2018 peace deal. The SPLM-IO is aiming to leverage this U.S. involvement to break the current political deadlock that now threatens to return the country to a full-scale civil war.

A second official said Oyet’s trip aims to rally international support and pressure Juba to release detained political and military figures linked to the movement.

“This visit is aimed at strengthening diplomatic engagement with Washington and highlighting concerns about the detention of senior opposition leaders,” the second official said. “There is hope that renewed U.S. attention could help address the ongoing political crisis.”

Oyet has served as the acting chairman of the SPLM-IO since Machar and other senior officials, including the group’s military chief Gabriel Duop Lam, were detained.

The opposition has dismissed the detentions and subsequent trials as politically motivated.

SPLM-IO Youth League spokesman Gattiek Wichar confirmed Oyet’s travel in a statement, urging movement members in the U.S. to mobilize for his arrival.

“We call upon all the SPLM-IO youth and all South Sudanese of goodwill… to welcome him with open arms and gather in masses because he will be addressing membership of the party,” Wichar said.

Wichar added that Oyet will use the U.S. visit to lobby aggressively for the release of Machar and other leaders currently held in Juba.