Three women purged in three months: Kiir faces backlash over gender quota

JUBA – In just under three months, three of South Sudan’s most senior women leaders have been pushed out of office—each replaced by a man. What might have once passed as routine political reshuffles is now drawing sharper scrutiny, with activists warning that the pattern risks undoing one of the core promises of the country’s fragile peace deal.

The latest to fall is Jemma Nunu Kumba, until recently the Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly. Her removal followed a vote of no confidence by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) parliamentary caucus, which accused her of mismanagement and corruption.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit, who chairs the party, moved swiftly to endorse the decision, replacing her with Joseph Ngere Paciko.

But Kumba’s exit did not happen in isolation.

On February 26, Kiir relieved Josephine Lagu Yanga from her role as Vice President for the Service Cluster, reinstating Hussein Abdelbagi Akol—her predecessor. Then, on March 27, Health Minister Sarah Cleto Rial was dismissed and replaced by Luke Thomson Thoan.

Three positions vacated. Three women replaced. Three male successors. For Ter Manyang Gatwech, a prominent civil society activist, the pattern is too consistent to dismiss.

“This is a clear and unacceptable violation of the 35% affirmative action requirement as stipulated in the Revitalized Peace Agreement,” he said, referring to the quota that guarantees women at least 35 percent representation in government.

The provision, embedded in Chapter One of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), was meant to correct years of exclusion and ensure women are not sidelined in decision-making.

“This provision is not symbolic—it is a binding commitment designed to guarantee meaningful participation of women in governance and to advance equality, justice, and national stability,” Gatwech added.

The removal of Kumba, who occupied one of the highest-ranking positions under the legislative arm of the government, has intensified the debate. While some within the SPLM argue her dismissal was based on performance, critics say that reasoning should not come at the expense of the quota itself.

“Such considerations must not be used as a pretext to erode legally mandated female representation in one of the highest offices of the land,” Gatwech said.

The political spread of the affected leaders only deepens the concern. Josephine Lagu is affiliated with the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), while Sarah Cleto Rial belongs to the SPLM-IO faction led by Stephen Par Kuol. Kumba, however, is a senior SPLM figure—meaning the reshuffles cut across party lines.

That has raised a more uncomfortable question: whether the issue is less about party politics and more about shrinking space for women at the top.

Gatwech insists that the speakership, in particular, should remain in female hands—not as a token gesture, but as a matter of principle tied to the peace agreement.

Failure to uphold the quota, he warned, risks reversing gains that were hard-won during negotiations. “It could undermine public trust in national institutions,” he said, urging the SPLM leadership to “rectify this violation” and implement the agreement “without selective interpretation.”