South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has sacked two of his vice-presidents, the country’s spy chief and other senior officials.
One of the vice-president removed from office is James Wani Igga, a veteran politician and general, who has been in the position since 2013 and has been the deputy chair of SPLM.
The other is Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, from an opposition alliance (SSOA) which is not part of the main opposition movement (SPLM-In Opposition) of First Vice-President Riek Machar.
The dismissals were announced in a series of presidential decrees read on the state broadcaster, but No reasons has been given for the move.
Akol has been appointed the minister for agriculture, replacing Josephine Joseph Lagu from the same SSOA alliance who now becomes a vice-president.
South Sudan has five vice-presidents as part of a 2018 peace agreement to end a civil war.
Benjamin Bol Mel, who was sanctioned by the US in 2017 for alleged corruption, has been appointed to replace Igga as vice-president.
The president has not appointed replacements for the health minister and the governor of the south-western state of Western Equatoria, who are both from Machar’s party.
He has also not appointed a substantive replacement for the sacked spy chief, Akec Tong Aleu, who had only served four months after having been appointed in October.
