The ClarityDesk
Written by Ginaba Lino
A Facebook post (archived) published on 13 January, 2026, by Anthony Carlo, claimed that a joint communique by Troika Countries and the European Union following an extraordinary meeting endorsed Stephen Par Kuol as the Interim Chairman of the South Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-in-opposition (SPLM/A-IO), but this is false.
“The Troika Countries and the European Union in South Sudan have officially endorsed Amb. Stephen Par Kuol as Interim Chairman of the SPLM/A-IO, marking a major political shift announced in Oslo,” the post published by a Facebook user reads in part.
It was published by an individual account named Anthony Karlo with 3K followers on Facebook. Other sources that shared this post are here (archived) and here.
The post, in addition to the said letter, had two other pictures, one for Troika members and the other for Ambassador Par and a colleague.
Debunking the Claim:
A keyword search on Google for “Stephen Par Kuol endorsed by Troika” does not return any mainstream results that support the claim.
None of the above embassies have published any information confirming that Hon. Amb. Stephen Par Kuol has been endorsed by Troika as the Interim Chairman of SPLM/A-IO to take over from Dr Riak Machar Teny.
In a WhatsApp message sent to The ClarityDesk, Francis Apiligu, the communication officer at the EU Embassy in Juba, confirmed the document is false and should be ignored.
“Sorry, but when I consulted Ambassador Pelle Enarsson, he immediately dismissed it as a false statement.Please ignore it,” Francis said.
The Troika Countries (USA, UK, and Norway) have an intertwined role in South Sudan, acting as major donors, diplomatic monitors of the peace process, and proponents of democratic transition. Their combined efforts focus on holding the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) accountable to the 2018 peace agreement (R-ARCSS) and ensuring humanitarian aid reaches vulnerable populations.
Our Verdict:
The ClarityDesk finds the claim alleging the endorsement of Stephen Par Kuol as the new Interim Chairman of the SPLM/A-IO by Troika to be false.
The document allegedly issued by Troika is not official.
This article is published by The ClarityDesk, with the support of the Election Civic Tech Fund of AfricTivistes, within the AHEAD Africa and Digitalise Youth projects, led by the Digital Democracy Initiative.
Have you spotted an error in this article and would like to request a correction, or have you come across a claim that we should investigate? Please send us an email via editor@claritydesk.org or click here to WhatsApp us via +211 928 606 958.
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