Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual, leader of the SPLM/A-IO Kit-Gwang faction, has announced his withdrawal from the Port Sudan–Juba peace agreement, accusing the South Sudanese government of failing to honour its commitments and of resuming military operations against his forces.
In a letter dated February 2, 2026, Gatwech formally notified Sudanese authorities of his decision to exit the agreement signed one year earlier.
The letter was addressed to Sudan’s Sovereign Council President, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and copied to senior Sudanese and South Sudanese security officials, including President Salva Kiir.
Sudan had acted as guarantor to the deal.
The agreement, signed in Port Sudan in February 2025, was intended to end hostilities between the Kit-Gwang faction and the government through a 12-month implementation process.
Key provisions included the integration of Kit-Gwang fighters into the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and the appointment of Gatwech as Deputy Commander-in-Chief.
According to Gatwech, none of the agreed steps were implemented.
He said an advance delegation sent to Juba shortly after the signing was never formally engaged by the authorities and was effectively prevented from carrying out consultations for an entire year.
Instead, the group’s leader accused the government of taking unilateral measures that undermined the agreement, including the removal of the pact’s focal person and military attacks on Kit-Gwang cantonment sites.
He said these actions led to the collapse of the ceasefire and exposed both fighters and civilians to renewed violence, particularly in parts of Jonglei State.
Gatwech also pointed to recent clashes, saying his forces, alongside other opposition groups, captured Pajut in northern Jonglei in mid-January.
He said the operation resulted in the formation of a new alliance, the Joint Opposition Movements Forces, signaling what he described as a shift in the political and military landscape.
Tracing the roots of the current standoff, Gatwech linked it to the 2021 split within the main SPLM/A-IO, accusing the government of exploiting internal divisions by pursuing separate agreements with rival factions rather than addressing core issues in a comprehensive manner.
He further alleged that ethnic tensions in Upper Nile and Equatoria states have been deliberately inflamed.
While acknowledging Sudan’s role as guarantor, Gatwech warned that responsibility for any renewed conflict would extend to all parties involved in the agreement, though he placed primary blame on President Kiir’s administration.
The government had not issued a public response to Gatwech’s announcement, raising fresh concerns about the future of peace efforts amid growing uncertainty on the ground.
