South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has dismissed Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel, a powerful political and business figure once seen as his possible successor, according to a presidential decree read on state television Wednesday night.
The decree also announced the removal of the central bank governor and the head of the national revenue authority, both regarded as close allies of Bol Mel.
No reason was given for the dismissals, which followed hours of speculation in the capital, Juba, after security was scaled back around Bol Mel’s residence, sources told Reuters.
Bol Mel, one of South Sudan’s five vice presidents since his appointment in February, was also stripped of his rank as general, a position to which Kiir had promoted him only two months earlier.
His removal deepens political uncertainty in Africa’s youngest nation, already grappling with fragile peace and growing concerns about Kiir’s eventual succession.
Analysts say Bol Mel’s rise and his perceived status as the 74-year-old president’s favored heir had sparked resistance among powerful figures in Juba’s political and security circles.
Bol Mel has long faced allegations of corruption. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned him in 2017, describing him as Kiir’s “principal financial advisor,” though the presidency denied that characterization.
A U.N. report in September accused companies linked to Bol Mel of receiving $1.7 billion in state funds for road construction projects that were never completed. He has never directly responded to the allegations.
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but fell into a brutal civil war two years later, leaving an estimated 400,000 people dead before a fragile peace deal was signed in 2018.
Elections have since been repeatedly postponed, most recently in 2024, and tensions have been rising following the March arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar, Kiir’s longtime rival, on treason charges.
With fighting intensifying in several regions and key political alliances fracturing, Bol Mel’s abrupt dismissal adds to fears that South Sudan could once again slide toward instability or renewed conflict.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
