President Salva Kiir dismissed three national ministers and the governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal on Monday in his latest cabinet shake-up, according to decrees read on state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC).
In the first decree, Kiir removed Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Wek Mamer Kuol and appointed Joseph Geng Akec to the post. A subsequent decree named Mary Nawai as Youth and Sport Minister, replacing Akec. In a third decree, Kiir relieved Nawai of her role as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and assigned Kuol to that portfolio.
At the state level, Kiir sacked Western Bahr el Ghazal Governor Emmanuel Okello and appointed Sherif Daniel Sherif as his replacement. He also dismissed Taban Abel Aguek as deputy commissioner general of the South Sudan Revenue Authority, naming John Malek to the position.
No reasons were provided for the changes.
South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, has grappled with political instability since civil war erupted following a fallout between Kiir and then–deputy Riek Machar. The 2018 power-sharing deal—often strained—grants the presidency broad authority to appoint and dismiss officials at national and state levels, including those nominated by other parties with the consent of their leadership.
