President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Tuesday night fired the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and announced a replacement.
In a decree read on the state-owned television, South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), Kiir dismissed Lt. Gen. Majak Akec Malok and replaced him with Lt. Gen Atem Marol Biar.
Before he was appointed the new IGP, Kiir first promoted Atem Marol to the rank of a General in a separate decree.
No reasons were given for the changes although Juba City was tense over the weekend with the presidential guard’s Tiger Division of the SSPDF and National Security Service (NSS) deploying along and patrolling major roads in Juba.
Rumors of a coup also made rounds but both the police spokesperson Gen. Daniel Justin and his SSPDF counterpart, Gen. Lul Ruai reassured the public that there was no need for alarm and that the the deployments were routine and meant to check criminality in the city.
Before his elevation to the top job in the police, Gen. Atem Marol Biar was serving as the incumbent Director General of the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality Passports, and Immigration at the Interior Ministry.
The immediate former IGP Majak Akec was appointed to the position in 2018.