The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the governing party of South Sudan, has formally absorbed members of the Agwelek-Kit-Gwang faction, with faction leader Lt. Gen. Johnson Olony declaring allegiance to President Salva Kiir’s party ahead of elections scheduled for December. SPLM Secretary-General Akol Paul Kordit said the new members would strengthen the party’s grassroots support and said the SPLM was prepared for the electoral process. The integration follows political engagements between the SPLM leadership and representatives of the Agwelek-Kit-Gwang faction that began in early 2024, the party said. His Agwelek forces were subsequently partially integrated into the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF). South Sudan is due to hold its first elections since gaining independence in 2011 under the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).