South Sudanese leader Salva Kiir Mayardit has initiated a shake-up at the top of his ruling SPLM party, reshuffling senior officials in the General Secretariat as he prepares for the extended transitional period of the unity government.
The move comes days after Kiir appointed his close ally, Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, as Vice President for the Economic Cluster, replacing Dr. James Wani Igga, a veteran politician who had held the position since 2013. Igga had also served as the deputy chair of the SPLM.
Igga has been removed from his role as First Deputy Chair of the SPLM and reappointed as the party’s Secretary General. The position of First Deputy Chair remains unfilled.
Mel, who was previously the Special Presidential Envoy for Special Programs, has been the subject of speculation as a potential successor to Kiir.
In a presidential decree read on the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) on Thursday evening, Kiir, who also serves as SPLM chairman, revoked the appointments of several key figures, including Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel (First Deputy Secretary General), Santo Malek Anei (Secretary for Political Affairs), Bol Makueng Yol (Secretary for External Affairs), and Kuong Danhier Gatluak (Secretary for Security and Defense).
Kiir also made new appointments, naming Kuong Danhier Gatluak as First Deputy Secretary General, replacing Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel. He also appointed Bol Makueng Yol as Secretary for Political Affairs, replacing Santo Malek Anei.
Additionally, Kiir removed Dr. Jacob Maiju Baba Korok from his position as Deputy Minister of Information and appointed David Yau Yau as his replacement.
Yau Yau, a former leader of the Cobra Faction rebel group, which played a role in the creation of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) in 2014, rejoined the SPLM in April 2024 after briefly defecting to the SPLM-IO camp led by First Vice President Riek Machar.
He is now also a member of the government delegation for peace talks with holdout opposition groups in Nairobi, Kenya.
Yau Yau was appointed by the President in September of last year as a member of the party’s National Liberation Council (NLC).
In September 2024, President Kiir postponed general elections for an additional two years. These elections had been scheduled under the country’s transitional agreement for December 2024.
Citizens have awaited the opportunity to elect their leaders since South Sudan achieved its independence from Sudan in 2011.