Peter Mayen Majongdit, the once-controversial leader of the People’s Liberal Party (PLP), is making a bold return to South Sudan’s political stage after overcoming a public battle with drug addiction.
He has re-emerged sober and resolute, declaring his intention to challenge the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the December 2026 general elections.
As a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, he has been largely absent from politics in recent years. Now, his inner circle says he is rejuvenated and prepared to compete head-on for the presidency, representing the umbrella of political parties known as Other Political Parties (OPP).
“Hon. Peter Mayen is fully contesting the presidency,” said James Adhal Kot, Executive Director of the OPP umbrella. “The SPLM cannot go into an election uncontested; it would undermine the very idea of democracy in this country.”
Kot further emphasized that while the precise sequencing of the elections has not been finalized, whether presidential, parliamentary, or gubernatorial, the OPP is ready to field candidates at every level.
“If the presidential election comes first, Mayen will be on the ballot. If parliamentary elections are prioritized, we will contest those as well,” he added.
The announcement has sparked questions among political observers and citizens alike. Can Mayen, despite his rehabilitation and renewed focus, mount a credible challenge to the SPLM’s entrenched dominance?
His detractors cite his past controversies and internal rifts within the opposition bloc as barriers to his candidacy.
Addressing recent claims that Mayen was terminated from OPP leadership, Kot dismissed them as propaganda.
“The OPP is comprised of two coalitions: the Umbrella group led by Hon. Peter Mayen, and the National Alliance led by Hon. Kornelio Kon. Mayen remains the legitimate leader of the Umbrella coalition and an original signatory to the South Sudan Peace Agreement. Claims of his dismissal are unfounded,” he explained.
As political momentum builds toward 2026, Mayen joins a growing list of presidential aspirants, including Deng Bol Aruai of the newly rebranded South Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SSPLM) and incumbent President Salva Kiir Mayardit, who was recently reaffirmed as the SPLM’s flag bearer.
Once defined by scandal and sidelined by personal struggles, Peter Mayen now frames himself as a symbol of redemption and reform. His candidacy poses a challenge not only to SPLM’s hold on power but to the perception of who gets to lead in a nation still healing from conflict and division.
With the countdown to December 2026 underway, South Sudan’s political stage is being reshaped, and Mayen Majongdit has placed himself back at the center of it.
