South Sudan President Kiir Sacks Two Vice-Presidents

Salva Kiir, the president of South Sudan, has  fired two of his vice presidents as part of a continuous government reorganization.

Ms. Josephine Lagu and Mr. Benjamin Bol Mel have taken over the roles of Vice Presidents James Wani Igga for the Economic Cluster and Hussein Abdelbagi for the Services Cluster, respectively.

Ms. Lagu was the former Minister of Agriculture, and Mr. Bol was the former Presidential Envoy for Special Programs. The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has also named Mr. Wani Igga as its Secretary General, succeeding Mr. Peter Lam Both.

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Further changes include the removal of South Sudan’s Presidential Envoy for Middle East Affairs, Tut Gatluack, who has been appointed as the country’s ambassador to Kuwait. Akech Tong has also been removed from his position as the Director-General of National Security.

From the SPLM-In Opposition, President Kiir dismissed Health Minister Awel Deng and Western Equatoria State Governor Alfred Futuyo Karaba. Replacements for these positions have not yet been named.

No official reasons were provided for the extensive government reshuffle, with President Kiir citing his constitutional authority to make leadership changes.

Previous Dismissals:

On January 16, President Salva Kiir dismissed the country’s aviation chief and several other top government officials in a prior purge. He replaced David Subek, the Director General and CEO of the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SSCAA), with John Woja Elinana.

At the Ministry of Petroleum, Kon John Akot, the Director General of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Authority, was relieved of his duties and replaced by Lual Chol Dak. The Ministry of Culture, Museums, and National Heritage also saw a change in leadership, with Amer Madol Majak replaced as undersecretary of state by Malok Majok Malok. At the Ministry of Justice, Gabriel Isaac Awuou was removed as undersecretary and replaced by Mary James Ajith Awuol.

In addition to Subek’s removal, President Kiir reconstituted the SSCAA board and appointed a new leadership team.

Furthermore, in December, President Salva Kiir fired both General Santino Deng Wol, the army leader, and Alic Garang, the governor of the central bank.

Source: The EastAfrican