South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Monday night sacked a state governor and three national ministers in a mini cabinet reshuffle.
The firing, with immediate effect, involved the ministers of presidential affairs, public service, trade and industry and the governor of Warrap State, according to a decree read on state-owned television South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), which did not provide reasons for the dismissals.
According to the decree, Kiir fired Presidential Affairs Minister Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, Minister of Trade and Industry Kuol Athian Diing, Minister of Public Service Bangasi Joseph Bakasoro and Governor of Warrap State Manhiem Bol Malek.
The firing of Mr. Manhiem Bol follows communal violence in Warrap State in recent months, leading to displacement and loss of lives.
In a separate decree, the president appointed Bangasi Joseph Bakasoro as the new Minister of Presidential Affairs and William Anyun Kuol as the new Minister of Trade and Industry. He also appointed Dak Duop Bichiok as the new Minister of Public Service and Human Resource Development and Kuol Mur Mur as the new Governor of Warrap State.
All the appointed officials are members of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) led by President Kiir.
Bakosoro, who hails from Western Equatoria State, is a close ally of Kiir, and previously led a rebel group against the Kiir government before the 2018 peace deal.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Bakosoro’s appointment as the Minister of Presidential Affairs was linked to his political influence in Western Equatoria state as Kiir prepares for general elections in December 2024.
Edmund Yakani, a prominent political observer, urged the country’s leadership to use cabinet reshuffle for strategic political gains that offer an opportunity for political culture and attitude shift from dragging feet in transitioning the nation from violence to peace.
“The newly appointed minister for presidential affairs, Hon. Joseph Bagasi Bakasoro, should prioritize the efforts of ensuring that the presidency holds a meeting before the end of the year to make concrete political decisions on the pathway for holding free, fair, credible and peaceful elections,” Yakani sain a statement after the decree.
“For the newly appointed Minister of Public Services, please ensure timely payment of civil servants and political leaders such as parliamentarians. For the newly appointed Warrap State Governor, take urgent action to prevent deadly violence in the state,” he added.
South Sudan is due to go to the polls for the first time next year under the 2018 peace deal that ended a bloody civil war in the world’s youngest nation.
But the fragile transitional unity government has failed to meet many key provisions of the peace agreement, and there are still doubts within the international community and citizens that the election deadline will be met.
