Salva Kiir Fires Deputy Information Minister Baba Medan

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has fired Deputy Minister of Information Baba Medan Konyi, replacing him with Jacob M. Baba Korok.

Konyi, who was appointed in March 2020 when the transitional government of national unity was formed, was sacked through a presidential decree Tuesday evening aired on state broadcaster South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC).

No reasons were given for the sacking of the deputy information minister Baba Medan, who has been a close ally of the president.

South Sudanese parties are implementing the September 2018 revitalized peace agreement signed in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa to end more than six years of conflict.

The agreement calls for a 36- month transitional period to be followed directly by general elections but several of the document’s key provisions have yet to be carried out.

South Sudanese officials have repeatedly stated that the transitional government lacks the funds needed to implement the agreement.

Chol Mawel