SOUTH Sudan’s president has dismissed the defence minister who is the wife of his longtime political rival, Riek Machar,
Machar’s office said it occurred without consultations.
A report by The A
ssociated Press (AP) said Pres
ident Salva Kiir on Friday issued a decree removing Defence Minister Angelina Teny from office. She is a leading member of the opposition SPLM-IO that is a principal party to the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war.
The president also removed the interior minister
, who is a member of his own party. No reasons were cited for the firings.
According to the terms of the peace deal, the ministry of defence is to be led by Machar’s party and the interior ministry by Kii
r’s.
Puok Both Baluan
g, a spokesman for Machar, in a Facebook post called the president’s move a violation of the agreement, AP reported.
Implementation of the deal has been slow, and the country’s first-ever elections since independence from Sudan have been delayed until the end
of 2024.
