South Sudan officials dismissed without reason
FILE PHOTO: South Sudan's President Salva Kiir attends a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, September 28, 2023. Sputnik/Vladimir Astapkovich/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed a number of officials without reason, including two of his vice presidents, the country’s spy chief and other senior officials, the BBC reports on 11th February.
South Sudan has had five vice presidents as per a 2018 peace agreement to end the South Sudanese Civil War, that raged from 2013-2020.
South Sudan became the world’s newest country following secession from Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict between the Muslim north and the Christian south. The split was ‘peaceful and democratic’ according to USAID publication Frontlines, however civil war soon followed due to disputes between Kiir and deputy Riek Machar.
The aforementioned 2018 power sharing agreement has been wrought with problems such as a lack of trust between delegates, political infighting and failure to attain funding and meet deadlines. Furthermore, South Sudan’s leadership has been questioned, and labelled as corrupt, rife with ‘elite capture of the country’s resources’.
One of the vice presidents ousted from office is James Wani Igga who has occupied the position since 2013 and has been the deputy chair of SPLM, the party of the president.
Benjamin Bol Mel, who was sanctioned by the US in 2017 for alleged corruption, has been appointed to replace Igga as vice-president.
The other ousted leader is Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, from an opposition alliance SSOA. A fellow SSOA alliance member, Josephine Joseph Lagu replaces him in this position, as he takes on the mantle of minister for agriculture.
Kiir has not yet appointed a replacement for the sacked spy chief, Akec Tong Aleu, who had only served four months after having been appointed in October.
This news is the latest in a series of officials dismissed by Salva Kiir. The President had sacked the country’s finance minister who was just four months into the job in July 2024, the sixth replacement in the post since 2020, as well as instances in October 2024 where a spy chief was fired and reappointed as a state governor, and in December 2024 in which a number of South Sudan officials were dismissed
President Salva Kiir has been in the office of president since the conception of South Sudan. The country has not conducted an election since achieving its independence due to the immediate outbreak of conflict post secession.
The first nationwide vote was scheduled to take place in 2015, but the election could not go ahead.
It was then delayed until 2022, but polls were postponed for 3 years further.
The country’s leadership has said the election will now take place in December 2026.
BBC
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