South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed the army chief, police inspector-general, and central bank governor in a major security and administrative overhaul. The move comes weeks after heavy gunfire in the capital, Juba, sparked concerns about internal tensions within the security sector.
The announcement made late Monday via decrees broadcast on state-run South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), saw the removal of General Santino Deng Wol as Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), the national army.
In a separate decree, Kiir appointed General Paul Nang Majok as the new army chief, replacing General Santino, who had held the position since April 2021.
Kiir also reassigned General Santino Deng Wol to serve as the undersecretary at the Ministry of Defense, replacing Atak Santino Majak, who was removed in a concurrent decree. This marks Deng’s first administrative role after a military career that included commanding the 3rd Infantry Division of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State before becoming army chief.
Additionally, Kiir dismissed Lieutenant General Atem Marol Biar as Inspector-General of Police and appointed General Abraham Peter Manyuat as his successor. Biar had held the position since replacing General Majak Akec during a period marked by coup rumors.
In the financial sector, Kiir replaced James Alic Garang as governor of the Bank of South Sudan, reinstating Johnny Ohisa Damian, who had previously held the role until October last year. Garang Majak, the first undersecretary in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, was also relieved of his duties and replaced by Arop Nuoi Arop.
Although President Kiir did not provide an official explanation, the recent reshuffle follows a violent incident in Juba’s Thongpiny neighborhood last month, where security forces clashed while trying to detain General Akol Koor Kuc, the former Director-General of the Internal Security Bureau (ISB) of the National Security Service (NSS)
