South Sudan’s former first vice president and rebel leader Riek Machar issued decrees removing and appointing senior opposition officials in his SPLM-IO faction.
In a series of decrees on 20 December, Machar removed Dhieu Charou from his position as deputy chairperson of the SPLM-IO committee for mobilization and organization, deputy chairperson of health committee Kuong Dak, chairperson of governance affairs committee Ramadan Hassan Laku and deputy head of the SPLM-IO office in Kenya Adel Sandrai.
Machar also removed Sebit John Magok from his position as deputy head of the SPLA-IO committee for governance affairs, Aggrey Izboni Idri as deputy chairperson for finance and resource mobilization committee, Dong Samuel as deputy chairperson of constitutional affairs committee and Goi Joyul Yol as SPLM-IO representative to Ethiopia.
After removing the top officials, the rebel leader issued separate decrees appointing Aggrey Izboni Idri as new chairperson of humanitarian affairs committee, Agok Makur Kur as chairperson of mobilization and organization committee, Goi Joyul Yol as new chairperson of education, science and technology committee, Dak Duop Bichok as chairperson of energy and mining committee, and Peter Marcello Nasir as new chairperson of public service and human resource development committee.
Machar also appointed Pasquale Clement Batali as new deputy chairperson of the SPLM-IO committee for foreign relations, Majid Babiker as deputy chairperson for constitutional affairs, justice and human rights committee, Moses Gatkuoth Lony as new deputy chairperson of humanitarian affairs committee and Justin Joseph Marona as new deputy chairperson of finance and resource mobilization committee.
The prominent opposition leader also appointed Petro Juoi Machar as new deputy chairperson of the SPLM-IO committee for health, Sebit John Magok as new deputy chairperson of transports system, Oryema James Emmanuel as SPLM-IO representative to Kenya and Ambrose Lomin as new SPLM-IO representative to Uganda.
Machar gave no reasons for the reshuffle, which was announced on 20 December.