South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed Vice-President Benjamin Bol Mel, a move that has sparked fears of political instability and a possible return to civil war.
Bol Mel, who was appointed vice-president in February, had been tipped as Kiir’s possible successor.
He was also stripped of his military rank of general and dismissed from the national security service.
The dismissal is part of a broader shake-up, with Kiir also sacking the central bank governor and the head of the revenue authority, both considered close allies of Bol Mel. No explanation was given for the dismissals, which were announced in a decree broadcast on state television.
Bol Mel, 47, had been under US sanctions since 2017 for alleged corruption, with the US Treasury describing him as Kiir’s “principal financial advisor”. Kiir’s office denied this characterization. Bol Mel has never directly responded to the corruption accusations against him.
The move comes amid growing tensions in South Sudan, with planned elections postponed twice in the past three years and fighting between forces loyal to Kiir and armed groups escalating.
Opposition leader Riek Machar was sacked as vice-president and arrested earlier this year, and is currently facing charges of murder, treason, and crimes against humanity.
