President of South Sudan dismisses interior and defence ministers

President Salva Kiir of South Sudan has fired two senior security officials, in violation of the conditions of a peace accord with First Vice President Riek Machar, the head of the opposition party.

According to Lily Martin Manyiel, the president’s spokesperson, Kiir fired the nation’s interior minister Mahmoud Solomon and the defence minister Angelina Teny, who is also Machar’s wife, in a presidential decree that was read on state television late on Friday.

They were fired, but Manyiel replied, “There is no reason I can offer you right now” and that “it’s a routine practise usually.” He also said that no choice had been made over their successors.

A peace agreement between Kiir and Machar’s soldiers was struck in 2018 and put an end to a five-year civil conflict that claimed 400,000 lives and caused Africa’s worst refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The Revitalized Peace Accord for South Sudan has been sluggish to take effect, and power-sharing disputes between the opposing factions have led to many clashes.

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Under the decree issued on Friday, Kiir gave his party control of the defence ministry, which is supposed to be filled by Machar’s party according to the provisions of the agreement.

The interior ministry was given to Machar’s party in return by the president.

Speaking on behalf of Machar, Puok Both Baluang said, “The changeover is unilateral and a new cycle of breaching the revived agreement.

Pope Francis appealed to South Sudan’s warring leaders during a visit there this month to reject the violence, racial prejudice, and corruption that have prevented the world’s youngest nation from reaching peace and prosperity.

Leading human rights advocate and peace deal signatory Edmond Yakani challenged the administration to explain “why there is an exchange of information that reveals the violation of the peace agreement” in a statement.

(Reuters)