South Sudan\u2019s President\u00a0Salva Kiir Mayardit\u00a0has announced new appointments in the defense ministry and presidential guard, marking the latest in a string of government reshuffles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decrees, read on state television Monday night, named\u00a0Gen. James Koang Chuol, a senior member of the ruling SPLM party, as the\u00a0new Deputy Minister of Defense. Koang was relieved of his duties as governor of Upper Nile State just last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The deputy minister position had remained unfilled since\u00a0March 2023, following the dismissal of\u00a0Gen. Chol Thon Balok, who was subsequently promoted to defense minister. The post was initially expected to go to the main opposition party, the\u00a0SPLM-IO\u00a0led by\u00a0First Vice President Riek Machar, in line with the power-sharing arrangement outlined in the 2018 peace accord. The expectation arose after Kiir removed Machar\u2019s wife,\u00a0Angelina Teny, from the defense portfolio and placed the ministry under his direct authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In another decree, Kiir promoted\u00a0Brig. Gen. Valentino Baak Makuei\u00a0to\u00a0Major General\u00a0and appointed him as commander of the\u00a0Presidential Guard Unit\u2014commonly known as the\u00a0Tiger Division\u2014replacing\u00a0Gen. Philip Nyon Nyon, who assumed the role in May. Baak previously served as Kiir\u2019s aide-de-camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Tiger Division, headquartered in\u00a0Juba, is responsible for protecting the president. It grew into a division-sized formation following the outbreak of civil war in 2013 and is now considered one of the most influential components of the\u00a0South Sudan People\u2019s Defense Forces (SSPDF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiir also dismissed\u00a0Deng Alor Kuol, the Minister for East African Community Affairs and a member of the\u00a0Former Detainees\u00a0group in the unity government. He was replaced by\u00a0Bany Gideon Mabor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Political analyst\u00a0James Boboya, based in Juba, described the reshuffles as part of Kiir\u2019s long-running strategy to\u00a0consolidate political power\u00a0under the ruling SPLM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe peace agreement is being used as a cover for Kiir\u2019s continued dominance,\u201d Boboya told Radio Tamazuj<\/em>. \u201cThese appointments are more about control than reform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He suggested that Kiir deliberately undermines officials before elevating them to senior positions to ensure their loyalty, pointing to Gen. Koang\u2019s appointment as largely\u00a0symbolic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe deputy defense minister has little real authority,\u201d he said. \u201cThe ministry now operates as an extension of the president\u2019s party rather than as an institution advancing peace implementation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the leadership change within the Tiger Division, Boboya argued that frequent rotations serve to prevent any commander from gaining too much influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBy constantly changing the division\u2019s leadership, Kiir weakens the army\u2019s cohesion and eliminates potential rivals,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s a tactic that sustains his grip on power.\u201dCommenting on the appointment of\u00a0Bany Gideon Mabor, Boboya acknowledged his abilities but questioned whether he would enjoy real independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWithout genuine autonomy, the ministry risks becoming another platform for personal enrichment rather than national progress,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" South Sudan\u2019s President\u00a0Salva Kiir Mayardit\u00a0has announced new appointments in the defense ministry and presidential guard, marking the latest in a string of government reshuffles. The decrees, read on state television Monday night, named\u00a0Gen. James Koang Chuol, a senior member of the ruling SPLM party, as the\u00a0new Deputy Minister of Defense. Koang was relieved of his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8864,"featured_media":40889,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_paywall_metabox":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,161],"tags":[31,109,9295,169],"class_list":["post-40888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-world","tag-featured","tag-news","tag-salva-kiir-mayardit","tag-south-sudan"],"yoast_head":"\n