The newly appointed caretaker governor of Central Equatoria State, Juma Ali Malou, assumed office on Tuesday at a ceremonial reception at the State Secretariat.
The event was attended by the Vice President James Wani Igga, the ousted Governor Clement Wani Konga, the Western Bahr al Ghazal Governor Rizig Zacharia, and senior state government officials.
Malou was appointed in place of the long-serving Clement Wani Konga, who was removed by presidential decree. Under the terms of South Sudan’s constitution, the president has the power to remove a governor “in the event of a crisis in the state that threatens national security and territorial integrity.”
Although Kiir did not specify that there was any “crisis in the state” as the basis for Konga’s removal, the outgoing governor has not openly challenged Kiir’s decision. Similarly, in Western Equatoria State, the ousted governor Joseph Bakosoro has not challenged the decision to remove him, though he did criticize security personnel who detained him “unlawfully” last week.