Kiir fires three Machar ministerial allies, SPLM-IO slams ‘unilateral’ decision

JUBA – President Salva Kiir has fired three cabinet ministers allied to suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, triggering an angry response from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–In Opposition (SPLM-IO), which accused the president of taking a “unilateral” and procedurally flawed decision.”

In presidential decrees read on state television Wednesday, Kiir dismissed Martin Gama Abucha, Minister of Mining; Peter Marcelo Nasir, Minister of Energy and Dams; and Aya Benjamin Warile, Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare. All three ministers were serving under the SPLM-IO ticket as part of the power-sharing arrangement established by the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

At the same time, President Kiir appointed Lasuba Wango as Minister of Mining. Wango takes over the portfolio after being replaced from his position as the Minister of Federal Affairs on the same night.

Agok Makur Kur was appointed as the Minister of Energy and Dams, while Nuna Ruthop Endefu assumes the top seat at the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare. The decrees did not indicate the political party affiliations of the newly appointed ministers, nor did the presidency provide reasons for the changes.

In a statement extended to Sudans Post, the SPLM-IO strongly condemned the dismissals, with Acting Press Secretary Puok Both Baluang describing the decrees as “unilateral and procedurally invalid,” arguing that they violated the spirit and letter of the peace agreement. He said the dismissed ministers had been replaced by individuals linked to the so-called De-Link group, also referred to as the Palm Africa Hotel defectors, led by Stephen Par Kuol.

“These measures constitute a weak and reactionary maneuver by the regime,” Baluang said, claiming the cabinet shakeup was a response to what he described as recent SPLM-IO military gains in Jonglei, Eastern Equatoria, and Unity States. He added that the decisions would not derail the party’s political course or its stated goal of building “a free, stable and prosperous nation.”

The government has yet to publicly respond to the SPLM-IO allegations or to clarify the rationale behind the dismissals. While cabinet reshuffles are common during South Sudan’s transitional period, moves targeting SPLM-IO ministers have often heightened political tensions within the unity government.

South Sudan is set to hold elections in 2026 with several key provisions of the peace agreement still unimplemented.