South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has made an unexpected move, firing his long-serving and influential national security affairs advisor, Tut Gatluak Manime.
In a presidential decree issued late Friday, Kiir removed Tut from his post without providing a specific reason but appointed him as the Presidential Envoy for Middle East Affairs.
Tut Gatluak, a prominent political figure in Kiir’s administration, had seen his influence diminish in recent months as Kiir increasingly relied on Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, a senior presidential envoy, for key assignments.
Despite this, Tut maintains strong relationships with key Gulf nations, particularly the United Arab Emirates (UAE). His removal follows growing public criticism over his management of funds allocated for the implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement and his opposition to bringing holdout groups back into the Transitional Government of National Unity.
Kiir has been in talks with opposition groups that refused to sign the 2018 peace deal, which ended South Sudan’s brutal civil war.
In a separate decree, Kiir appointed Lt. Gen. Thoi Chany Reat, a senior officer in the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), as Tut’s replacement as national security advisor. Lt. Gen. Reat has been accused by the United Nations of involvement in human rights violations and extrajudicial killings in Mayom County in August 2022.
Kiir also dissolved the National Transitional Committee (NTC), which had been responsible for overseeing the peace process, and removed its chairperson, Tut Gatluak Manime, along with several other members. Among those dismissed were Mayik Ayii Deng (Deputy Chairperson), Stephen Par Kuol (Minister of Peacebuilding), Angelina Teny (Minister of Interior), and others.
The President subsequently reconstituted the NTC, appointing several prominent figures to oversee the completion of the peace agreement’s remaining phases. Key appointees include Presidential Advisor Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk as Chairperson, Ambassador Chol Mawut Ajongo as Deputy Chairperson, Peacebuilding Minister Stephen Par Kuol as Secretary and Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel as a member.
The newly formed NTC will focus on completing Phase Two of the Security Arrangement, preparing a budget for the final stages of security implementation, and reporting directly to the presidency.
In another move, Kiir dissolved the board of directors of Nile Petroleum Corporation (Nilepet), which had included several key government officials, and reconstituted the board with a mix of existing ministers and private sector representatives.
Finally, Kiir appointed Stephen Kueth Gach as the new Chairperson of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), replacing Gatwech Peter Kulang.
The 2018 agreement brought together President Salva Kiir and his rival First Vice President Riek Machar, but efforts to draft a permanent constitution and conduct the country’s first-ever general elections have been repeatedly delayed.
In September last year, the transitional government announced that it was again postponing polls planned for December 2024 by a further two years.