South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir, has dismissed two of his vice presidents, the country’s spy chief, and several senior officials in a series of presidential decrees announced on state television. No reasons were provided for the shake-up.
The oil-rich nation, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, has been governed under a fragile power-sharing agreement since 2018. The deal, aimed at ending years of civil war, established a government with five vice presidents.
Among those dismissed is James Wani Igga, a veteran politician and general who has served as vice president since 2013 and is deputy chair of Kiir’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). Also removed is Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, from the opposition alliance SSOA, which is separate from the main opposition party, SPLM-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by First Vice President Riek Machar.
In a reshuffle, Akol has been appointed Minister of Agriculture, replacing Josephine Joseph Lagu, who now takes over as vice president. Benjamin Bol Mel, previously a special presidential envoy, replaces Igga as vice president. Mel, sanctioned by the U.S. in 2017 over alleged corruption, has been rumored as a potential successor to Kiir.
President Kiir has yet to announce replacements for the sacked Minister of Health and the governor of Western Equatoria, both members of Machar’s SPLM-IO. Additionally, no replacement has been named for the dismissed spy chief, Akec Tong Aleu, who had only served four months.
Under the 2018 peace agreement, the president has the authority to appoint or dismiss government officials but requires approval from party leaders when making changes to members of other political groups. It remains unclear whether Machar consented to the removal of the SPLM-IO officials.
South Sudan has yet to hold a national election since independence. The country’s first vote, initially set for 2015, was delayed due to the civil war. Elections were later rescheduled for 2022 but postponed again. Originally due two months ago, the polls have now been pushed back to December 2026.
