South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has removed his deputy, Bol Mel, from power in a shocking move that raises concerns about the country's stability. The 47-year-old vice-president had been tipped as a potential successor to Kiir but was dismissed just hours after his security detail was withdrawn from his residence and office.
Kiir stripped Mel of his military rank of general and also sacked him from the national security service, the central bank governor, and the head of the revenue authority. The dismissals were announced in a decree broadcast on state television with no explanation given for the moves.
The sacking comes as tensions persist in South Sudan, where a fragile power-sharing agreement between Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar has been fraught with challenges since its collapse two years ago. Planned elections have been postponed twice in the past three years, and fighting between forces loyal to the president and armed groups has recently escalated.
Machar was sacked as vice-president and arrested earlier this year on treason charges, which his spokesperson described as a "political witch-hunt". The charges followed an attack by a militia allegedly linked to Machar that killed 250 soldiers and a general.
Analysts believe Bol Mel's dismissal is part of an internal power struggle in the government. A senior government official said that Mel had been a "divisive figure" in the government, adding that his removal was welcome news for President Kiir.
The US placed sanctions on Bol Mel in 2017 over corruption allegations, which were renewed earlier this year. Despite these accusations, Mel had never directly responded to them.
South Sudan is an oil-rich nation that became the world's newest country in 2011 after seceding from Sudan. It has been embroiled in civil war since 2013 and has struggled to establish stability.
The move by President Kiir to remove his deputy raises concerns about the country's ability to govern itself and whether the fragile peace is at risk.
Kiir stripped Mel of his military rank of general and also sacked him from the national security service, the central bank governor, and the head of the revenue authority. The dismissals were announced in a decree broadcast on state television with no explanation given for the moves.
The sacking comes as tensions persist in South Sudan, where a fragile power-sharing agreement between Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar has been fraught with challenges since its collapse two years ago. Planned elections have been postponed twice in the past three years, and fighting between forces loyal to the president and armed groups has recently escalated.
Machar was sacked as vice-president and arrested earlier this year on treason charges, which his spokesperson described as a "political witch-hunt". The charges followed an attack by a militia allegedly linked to Machar that killed 250 soldiers and a general.
Analysts believe Bol Mel's dismissal is part of an internal power struggle in the government. A senior government official said that Mel had been a "divisive figure" in the government, adding that his removal was welcome news for President Kiir.
The US placed sanctions on Bol Mel in 2017 over corruption allegations, which were renewed earlier this year. Despite these accusations, Mel had never directly responded to them.
South Sudan is an oil-rich nation that became the world's newest country in 2011 after seceding from Sudan. It has been embroiled in civil war since 2013 and has struggled to establish stability.
The move by President Kiir to remove his deputy raises concerns about the country's ability to govern itself and whether the fragile peace is at risk.
. I mean, first Riek Machar gets sacked as VP and now Bol Mel, who was supposed to be Kiir’s successor? It just doesn’t add up 
. And what about the allegations of corruption against Mel? You’d think that would at least make him a bit more vulnerable to being removed from power 
. But then again, he did have his security detail taken away and everything just gets swept under the rug 
. I don’t know how much longer this government can keep going on like this before it all falls apart 
. And for South Sudan’s sake, they really need stability right now 
.
, this is getting intense! Interesting 
how the power struggle in South Sudan keeps escalating. Like, what's next? Is Kiir just trying to consolidate more control or is it a genuine move to clean up the government? The US sanctions thingy on Mel raises some eyebrows too... but I guess corruption allegations are always a possibility 
. President Kiir's move to kick out Bol Mel just hours after taking away his security detail? That's like a ticking time bomb for South Sudan's stability. I mean, we all know they're still reeling from the civil war and power struggles since 2013. This doesn't help. It feels like another internal power struggle is brewing, but this time it's affecting the entire country 
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! Kiir can't even keep his own VP without sacking him 
. It's like a game of musical chairs in Sudan... but with guns 
. How's South Sudan supposed to recover from all this instability? And what's with the US sanctions on Mel again? Corruption allegations, yeah right 
. I just hope Kiir doesn't start firing people willy-nilly and plunge the country into chaos 
. This is gonna be a long, tough road for those South Sudanese... Interesting 
but seriously, has anyone seen the latest numbers on south sudan's oil production? that stuff is like, super important for their economy 
what's next gonna be a new head of state every week? South Sudan needs some real change, not just power struggles like this 
. what if this is just another move in an internal power struggle? what will happen next to machar who was already arrested on treason charges? 
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. With the country still reeling from civil war and corruption allegations hanging over Mel's head, this move seems like a recipe for disaster 
kiir needs to stop this internal fighting or else it'll be chaos 
. I mean, one day Mel's in, next day he's out. It's like a bad episode of Game of Thrones. 
The US putting sanctions on him back in 2017 was like, "Hey, dude, get your act together". And now Kiir is like, "Nah, I got this". 
