Last salute as South Sudan president fires army chief and finance minister

JUBA, South Sudan 

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has fired his finance minister and the chief of the defense forces, a decree said on Wednesday, in the latest in a series of government changes.

The South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) announced late on Wednesday that Kiir had relieved Salvatore Garang Mabior of his post as finance minister and dismissed General Paul Nang Majok as chief of defense forces.

No explanation was given for the firings.

Salvatore Garang Mabior was appointed finance minister in February 2026, while Gen. Paul Nang Majok was appointed in October 2025.

In another announcement, the president named Kuol Daniel Ayulo as minister of finance and planning.

Kuol had been serving as First Undersecretary of Finance and has held that position several times.

Kiir also reappointed Gen. Santino Deng Wol as chief of defense forces after being dismissed from his position as undersecretary for veteran affairs in the Ministry of Defense and Veteran Affairs.

He previously served as chief of defense forces from April 2021 to December 2024.

The president also reassigned Gen. Paul Nang Majok as undersecretary for veteran affairs in the defense ministry.

In other appointments, Kiir named Clement Juma as minister of agriculture and food security, a position that had been vacant since February this year, and appointed Mahjoub Biel Turuk, a former governor of Jonglei State, as deputy minister of public service, replacing Julius Tabuley.

South Sudan is governed under a 2018 peace agreement whose implementation has repeatedly been delayed. Under the deal, Kiir retains authority to appoint and dismiss senior officials at both national and state levels.

The changes come as the transitional government under Kiir moves to push ahead with amendments to the 2018 peace agreement aimed at paving the way for elections scheduled for December this year.

The proposed changes have been opposed by the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), the peace monitoring body, and the SPLM-IO, the main opposition faction led by Riek Machar.

Machar, a key signatory to the 2018 deal, was detained in March 2025, later suspended as first vice president and is currently facing treason charges before a special court in Juba.

Several regional and international bodies have repeatedly called on Kiir to release him to restart an inclusive dialogue ahead of elections.