{"id":46302,"date":"2026-07-22T16:34:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T14:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=46302"},"modified":"2026-07-22T16:34:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T14:34:17","slug":"io-party-opens-secretariat-and-reaffirms-commitment-to-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/22\/io-party-opens-secretariat-and-reaffirms-commitment-to-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"IO party opens secretariat and reaffirms commitment to peace"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sabri Dibaco <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The In Opposition party (IO) interim leadership has reaffirmed its commitment to South Sudan\u2019s peace process.<\/p>\n

The political group made the commitment on Tuesday during the opening of the general secretariat in Juba.<\/p>\n

During the event, Western Equatoria State Deputy Governor Justin Joseph Marona described the movement as a partner for peace rather than a threat to the country\u2019s transition.<\/p>\n

He said the establishment of the General Secretariat marks an important step in strengthening the party\u2019s organisational structures, coordinating political activities across the country.<\/p>\n

The deputy governor added that offices will help in advancing democratic governance in line with the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a major milestone that has renewed hope and enthusiasm among members,\u201d Marona said.<\/p>\n

He congratulated the party\u2019s interim leadership and the General Secretariat under Ambassador Stephen Par Kuol, saying the new office would provide a stronger foundation for the movement as it continues participating in the transitional government and supporting implementation of the peace agreement.<\/p>\n

Marona said the interim leadership remains active and committed to fulfilling its responsibilities under the peace deal despite ongoing political challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe IO interim leadership remains active and will continue serving in national and sub-national institutions until the peace agreement comes to an end,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He emphasised that the movement would continue working with regional and international partners, cooperating with other political parties and supporting reforms aimed at achieving peace, stability, and economic recovery in South Sudan.<\/p>\n

\u201cA strong IO is a strategic partner for peace and should be viewed as an asset rather than a threat,\u201d Marona said.<\/p>\n

He added that strengthening the party would contribute to democratic governance and improve cooperation with other signatories to the peace agreement, including the SPLM.<\/p>\n

The party\u2019s interim leader, Ambassador Stephen Par Kuol, called on party members to remain united and focused on the movement\u2019s political objectives as it continues navigating the transitional period.<\/p>\n

Kuol urged members to work together, maintain discipline, and strengthen internal cohesion, saying unity among party supporters was essential for building a stronger organisation capable of contributing effectively to South Sudan\u2019s peace and democratic transformation.<\/p>\n

He also emphasised the importance of strengthening party structures and maintaining commitment to the principles of the peace agreement.<\/p>\n

The 2018 revitalised agreement established the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity.<\/p>\n

The agreement provides the framework for the country\u2019s ongoing political transition, including security reforms, constitution-making, and preparations for the first post-independence elections.<\/p>\n

The In Opposition party transitioned from SPLM-IO under Ambassador Stephen Par Kuol after breaking away from suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, who is facing trial and was formally registered with the Political Party Council.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sabri Dibaco The In Opposition party (IO) interim leadership has reaffirmed its commitment to South Sudan\u2019s peace process. The political group made the commitment on Tuesday during the opening of the general secretariat in Juba. During the event, Western Equatoria State Deputy Governor Justin Joseph Marona described the movement[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":46303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-news","category-politics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Hon.-Justin-Joseph-Marona-the-Deputy-Governor-of-Western-Equatoria-State-giving-his-remarks-during-the-opening-of-the-IO-General-Secretariat-office-in-Juba-photo-by-ZiaZiako-Emmanuel.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46302"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46304,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46302\/revisions\/46304"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}