The President of South Sudan Salva Kiir on Monday sacked the country’s army chief, Johnson Juma Okot without providing any reasons.
According to reports three other senior intelligence officers were also sacked.
Kiir announced the sack in a decree aired on State television (SSBC) on Saturday evening.
The new army chief would be replacing Santino Deng Wol who was there till Sunday night.
Okot was appointed chief of South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) in May last year to replace Gabriel Riak Jok.
No reasons were given for the decision to sack the officials by the presidency.
Kiir also replaced Nhial Deng Nhial as minister of presidential affairs with Barnaba Marial Benjamin.
Benjamin, prior to being appointed minister of presidential affairs, had been the lead negotiator of the government in talks with hold-out opposition groups in Rome, Italy.
These opposition groups refused to sign the 2018 revitalized peace agreement in Ethiopia.
In addition, Kiir also sacked Reuben Malek, deputy minister of defense and veterans affairs replacing him with Chol Thon Balok.
The president also sacked the director-general of external intelligence Thomas Duoth.
He was replaced with Simon Yien Makuac.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
