The Transitional National Legislative Assembly has entered a new phase of political realignment after Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba on Thursday appointed Ambrose Lomin Pitia as First Deputy Speaker, formally replacing Oyet Nathaniel Perino.
The reshuffle is widely interpreted as a triumph for Ambassador Stephen Par Kuol’s SPLM-IO faction in Juba, which recommended Pitia for the post following consultations with President Salva Kiir.
The order, read by the Clerk of the Assembly during an extraordinary sitting, effectively sidelines Oyet, who was removed from the position in August and now leads a rival SPLM-IO faction.
By installing Pitia, Par’s group has consolidated its influence at the heart of parliament, while Oyet’s faction loses one of its most visible footholds in national politics.
Many say the change further exposes the SPLM-IO’s internal divisions and raises concerns over how these rivalries might affect implementation of the peace deal.
In a separate order, Speaker Kumba relieved Clerk of Parliament Makuc Makuc Ngong from his position.
Makuc was appointed on Wednesday evening as Deputy Chairperson of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission. Santino Majak Deng has now been named the new Clerk of the Assembly.
The double reshuffle underscores both the fluidity and fragility of South Sudan’s political landscape.
With Par Kuol’s SPLM-IO faction securing one of the top seats in the legislature, Oyet faces mounting isolation, leaving the opposition increasingly split at a critical stage of the transition.
