11/28/2025
- Calling for the appointment of Hon. Denay Jock Chagor as the Vice President under the banner of SSOA coalition to strike existing Regional Balance exemplified by the appointments of Hon. Hussein Abdelbagi Akol representing Greater Bahr el Ghazal as well as incumbent Vice President H.E. Josephine Lagu Langa appointed representing Greater Equatoria:
By Wany Bum Makhor (MP).
Representing Uror County, Jonglei State assembly.
27 November, 2025.
In the evolving political landscape of the Republic of South Sudan, few leaders have demonstrated the breadth of constituency support, administrative competence, and generational relevance that Hon. Denay Jock Chagor embodies. A few weeks ago after former Vice President in charge of economic cluster was defrocked in the Presidential decrees read on National owned SSBC. Replacing him with veteran and SPLM traditional loyalist H.E. Gen. Dr. James Wani Iga. A heated discussion surfaced and rapidly intensified within the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) regarding the nomination of a candidate for the Vice President of the Service Cluster. This debate justifiably rested on regional balance in the presidency and within broad architectures of peace accord weighing in political parties under SSOA’s coalition.
For an obvious reason underpin below, Denay stands out as the most unifying and broadly supported choice utterly fit for this crucial national responsibility. Hon. Denay Jock Chagor is currently serving as the Chairman of the South Sudan United Movement (SSUM), a political organization that emerged during the turbulence of conflict and transition. SSUM was born with a disciplined and resilient military wing under Denay’s command. His political and administrative popularity is unmatched in Jonglei State, where he previously served as governor. During his four-year tenure, independent estimates rating his performance at an extraordinary 95%, mirroring widespread trust across communities, counties, and political groups. His leadership was marked by increased access to basic service, harmony, equitable distribution of resources, youth empowerment, and efforts to stabilize inter-communal relations in one of South Sudan’s most historically volatile states.
Denay, who hails from Lou-Nuer, the largest section and the powerhouse of the Nuer community, is strategically poised to take up the Vice President’s role. Lou-Nuer community has been used and humiliated by the detained first Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny for his political capital. In their own volition, this community has now unequivocally rejected Dr. Riek Machar’s political deception and openly pledge allegiance to Hon. Denay Jock Chagor to advance peace. It’s an open secret that Nuer as an ethnic group is dully represented by H.E. Taban Deng G*i as Vice President in charge of the infrastructure cluster and detained first President H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny, respectively. This is a controversial topic for another day. Well, the verdict is white and black. The duo did not only represent the same constituency (Bentui Nuer) but are equally blood relatives. Their appointments to the presidency breached the principle of equal representation. It created an internal power imbalance among the Nuer tribe occasion by disunity and vicious bloodily feuds.
In a sample arithmetic, Nuer ethnic group comprises 16 counties for which Dr. Riek Machar and Gen. Taban Deng represents only 7 counties situated in Unity State, leaving 9 counties predominantly in Central and Eastern Nuer unrepresented in the presidency. It was said that politics is a game of numbers. But the opposite is true in this current context. This must be corrected. The appointment of Hon. Denay Jock Chagor to the Presidency will provide a rare chance to address the historical injustice and marginalization.
Denay’s meritocratic rise is not accidental. It is grounded in competence, vision, and the confidence he has inspired across generations. He was appointed as the youngest National Minister of Higher Education. A role in which he championed educational reforms scaled up the government’s effort to support university students within the country and abroad. He initiated greater inclusion of young scholars in the decision-making across education sectors. A few months later, Chagor ascended onto the gubernatorial role and became the youngest governor of Jonglei State since independence, and likely the youngest governor appointed under the Revitalized Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS) in 10 States. His career trajectory symbolizes the hopes and aspirations of the youth, who make up the majority of South Sudan’s population. For many young people, Denay represents a new blood, to the historical patterns of leadership echelon, a leader who understands the pressing challenges facing the nation, from education to employment to service delivery and security.
What sets Denay apart is not just his age or experience, but his unique ability to command constituencies across
