South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel, unexpectedly severing ties with one of his most influential allies and a man long seen as his potential successor.
State television announced on Wednesday that Bol Mel, who was appointed in February as one of the country’s five vice presidents, was also stripped of his military rank of general and removed as deputy leader of the ruling party.
The shake-up extended beyond Bol Mel’s removal. Kiir also dismissed the governor of the central bank and the head of the national revenue authority, according to the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC).
Bol Mel has been under US sanctions since 2017 over alleged corruption. A UN report released in September accused companies linked to him of receiving $1.7 billion in payments for road construction projects that were never completed.
The dismissed vice president has not publicly responded to the corruption allegations. His removal marks one of the most dramatic political shifts in Juba this year and could deepen tensions within South Sudan’s ruling elite as the country prepares for long-delayed elections.
