(MENAFN) On Friday, President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan dismissed the country's defense and interior ministers, Angelina Teny and Mahmoud Solomon, respectively. The presidential decree was read out on state television, but no reason was given for the president's decision. Kiir did not immediately name replacements for the two sacked ministers.

Teny, who is the wife of First Vice President Riek Machar, had been serving as the Defense and Veterans' Affairs Minister since 2020. The ministry had been under the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), which is led by Machar, while the Ministry of Interior had been under the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Government (SPLM) Party headed by Kiir.

In addition to the dismissal of the ministers, President Kiir issued another decree that switched the ministries, stating that the Ministry of Defense will now be controlled by his party, the SPLM, while the Ministry of Interior will go to the SPLM-IO under First Vice President Riek Machar.

The reasons for the president's decision to dismiss the ministers and switch the ministries remain unclear. However, the move is likely to have significant implications for the country's political landscape, particularly given the ongoing power struggles and violence in South Sudan.

The country has been plagued by conflict and instability since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, and the situation has been further complicated by political rivalries and ethnic tensions. The dismissal of the two ministers and the restructuring of the ministries could exacerbate these existing divisions and further complicate efforts to achieve peace and stability in the country.

MENAFN05032023000045014146ID1105707733