South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed Vice-President Benjamin Bol Mel in a surprise move, stripping him of his military rank of general and removing him from the national security service. The decree, broadcast on state television, also sacked the central bank governor and the head of the revenue authority, both considered close allies of Bol Mel. No explanation was given for the dismissals.
Bol Mel, 47, was appointed vice-president in February, replacing James Wani Igga, and was later made first deputy chairman of the ruling SPLM party. Analysts had described him as a potential successor to the 74-year-old Kiir. Bol Mel was previously sanctioned by the United States for alleged corruption in 2017, sanctions which were renewed earlier this year.
The president has not announced replacements for any of the positions. Observers say the move follows speculation of an internal power struggle within the SPLM. A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described Bol Mel as a divisive figure. Some residents in the capital, Juba, welcomed the decision, saying it was widely supported in his hometown of Aweil.
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South Sudan became an independent nation in 2011 and suffered a civil war two years later after Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar fell out. Sporadic violence continues, and elections have been postponed twice in the last three years. Earlier this year, Machar was charged with murder, treason, and crimes against humanity, a case his spokesperson described as a political witch-hunt.
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