South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir has declined a request to sack Humanitarian Affairs minister, Peter Mayen Majongdit, preferring dialogue among aggrieved parties.

The call comes after members of Other Political Parties (OPP) and civil society groups, citing various reasons, asked the president to replace Mayen.

A presidential source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Sudan Tribune that the South Sudanese leader does not want to be seen as interfering in affairs of other political parties, preferring dialogue as the first option to settling political differences.

“Some of the issues for which they are asking his excellency the president to replace the minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management are things which could be resolved through dialogue and making compromise either within the party or as the family, depending on the side feeling affected by the conduct of the source of their complaint”, he disclosed on Wednesday.

Recently, South Sudanese women activists petitioned Kiir to dismiss Mayen for repeated domestic violence against his wife whom he allegedly beat up and stabbed.

The incident reportedly took place in the minister’s hometown in Kuajok, Warrap State, with political critics using it as an advantage to draw the attention of the president and other stakeholders to advocate for his removal from the government.

Deng Ayok Deng, the interim chairperson of the People Liberal Party (PLP), said members of the party dismissed Mayen from the PLP and have therefore decided to ask for his dismissal and replacement in the position he currently holds in cabinet.

“We are here as a party. It has come to our knowledge that peter Mayen Majongdit who is the minister of humanitarian affairs representing OPP has become a liability to the integrity and the image of PLP, therefore on August 2, the membership of Peter Mayen as interim chairman is withdrawn for several reasons among them is a violation of the constitution and the guiding prince of PLP,” he told reporters in Juba.

Meanwhile Mayen described allegations against him as “unfounded” and “witch hunt”.

He commended the president for ignoring voices of those calling for his replacement.

“His excellency the president is the man of peace. Those calling to remove me do not know how I was appointed to the position. I negotiated the agreement and was one of the signatories”, Mayen stated.

In September 2018, South Sudanese arch-foes signed a peace agreement, ending a devastating civil war that killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.