South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has dismissed army chief Paul Nang Majok just seven months after appointing him, state radio announced late Monday, naming veteran commander Dau Aturjong as the new Chief of Defence Forces.
The broadcast offered no explanation for Majok’s removal. He was promoted in December and has since overseen clashes between government troops and the Nuer-led White Army militia that sparked the country’s latest security crisis.
Army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang told reporters the change was routine: “It is customary here—no reasons are given when officers are appointed or relieved.”
Although a 2018 peace deal formally ended South Sudan’s five-year civil war, violence between rival communities remains common. Tensions spiked in March when First Vice President Riek Machar was placed under house arrest on allegations of inciting rebellion to derail planned elections; his party denies backing the White Army.
Government forces retook the northern town of Nasir from the militia in May, but diplomats warn that political friction and local skirmishes could still unravel fragile stability ahead of the vote.
