South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir dismissed Benjamin Paul Mel as vice president and deputy leader of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) on Wednesday, a day in which he also sacked several senior officials close to the person who was considered one of his potential successors.
The former vice president, who ascended to office in February this year, was also stripped of his rank in the National Security Service (SNN) and demoted from general to private, according to the presidential decree read out on the state television network.
The executive authority in South Sudan announced the dismissal of Paul Mel without providing further clarifications or naming an alternative, hours after the dismissal of the security team deployed at his residence in the capital, Juba, according to information collected by Radio Tamazuj.
Hours earlier, the Vice President’s office indicated in a statement that he spent the day “carrying out his official duties as seriously as usual.” In the memo published on his Facebook account, he addressed some “unfounded rumors circulating on social networks” regarding the imminent dismissal.
He added, “(Paul Mill) is working to strengthen the national economic reform programme, strengthen institutions and ensure that the country’s resources are used for the direct benefit of its citizens. As this transformative work gains momentum, it is to be expected that some people, motivated by selfish interests, will try to deceive the public and obstruct President Kiir’s program of peace, unity and an economy that works for the benefit of all,” before calling for the unity of citizens “to consolidate the achievements achieved so far and realize our aspirations for national development under the rule of the country.” President’s leadership.
Paul Mel, 52, was appointed vice president and head of the economic cluster of the South Sudan Executive in February this year, replacing veteran politician James Wani Igga. In May, he was also appointed first vice president of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, and in September he was promoted to the rank of general of the Social Safety Network. The promotions have been interpreted as a sign of his growing influence in the party and government, amid speculation over Kiir’s successor after First Vice President Riek Machar was accused of treason earlier this year.
In addition, the President, in separate decrees, dismissed Paul Lugal Gumi as Secretary-General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, Addis Ababa Otto as Governor of the Bank of South Sudan, and Simon Akoy Deng, Commissioner-General of the South Sudan Revenue Authority, officials who were appointed, according to Radio Tamazuj, at Paul Mel’s suggestion.
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