Stephen Par Kuol, the SPLM IO National Liberation Council, has declared him interim Chairperson

Stephen Par Kuol, the Minister of Peace-Building, the SPLM-IO National Liberation Council, has declared him as the party's interim Chairperson until FVP Dr Riek Machar is released.
“It is not a coup. What we have done is to resolve this leadership crisis that has been created by the crisis that comes as a result of the detention of our chairman and the desertions of our other leaders like the Deputy Chair and the Secretary General. You have seen that we have elected only three people as interim leaders. The rest of our structures remain in place, and nothing will be altered”.
“So, the decision is legitimate and constitutional. Whether this decision or the deliberation we have just completed to produce this resolution is a coup or not, the question we will ask is, coup against who? What we are hearing in the media is that it is a coup against our chairman. You have seen the banner behind us. That is the portrait of our Chairman, Dr. Riek Machar, who has remained Chairman of this party until the next convention, according to our constitution.”