South Sudan’s former Vice-President for Economic Cluster, Dr Benjamin Bol Mel, has been placed under house arrest in the capital, Juba, hours after he was dismissed from office by President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
Witnesses and aides told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday morning that security forces surrounded Bol Mel’s residence in the Jebel neighborhood on Wednesday evening after his dismissal. His relatives and staff were barred from visiting him until Thursday morning, according to one of his aides.
“Security forces from the army and military intelligence were stationed around the house, and relatives were told to stay away. The roads leading to his home were blocked,” the aide said.
Another associate alleged that security agents entered the house, seized documents, laptops, and an unspecified amount of money.
“They just went on a rampage and took things from the house,” the aide added.
The same source said that all of Bol Mel’s personal security guards had been withdrawn and replaced with new personnel, who have since placed him under house arrest.
Other sources close to the former vice-president denied reports that several senior officials linked to him — including Simon Akuei, former revenue authority chief; Eng. Deng Lual Wol, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Petroleum; and Dr Addis Ababa Othow, former Central Bank governor — had also been detained.
President Kiir on Wednesday night dismissed Bol Mel from his positions as Vice-President and First Deputy Chairperson of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).
The decree, broadcast on state television, also demoted Bol Mel from the rank of general to private in the National Security Service (NSS), effectively expelling him from the institution.
The move marked a sharp political break between Kiir and one of his closest allies, who had been widely viewed as a possible successor.
Bol Mel, 52, was appointed vice-president and head of the government’s economic cluster in February, replacing veteran politician Dr James Wani Igga. In May, he became First Deputy Chairperson of the SPLM, consolidating his influence within the ruling party. His rapid rise continued in September when Kiir promoted him to the rank of full general in the NSS — a move that intensified speculation about his growing political clout.
Kiir’s decree gave no reason for Bol Mel’s dismissal, which followed hours of speculation in Juba after his official security detail was withdrawn earlier on Wednesday.
Bol Mel has been under U.S. sanctions since 2017 for alleged corruption. A UN report in September accused companies linked to him of receiving $1.7 billion for road construction projects that were never completed.
He has not publicly responded to the allegations. When the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions, it described Bol Mel as President Kiir’s “principal financial adviser,” a claim the president’s office denied.
Bol Mel’s removal also coincided with the dismissal of several top officials seen as close to him, including the Central Bank governor and the head of the National Revenue Authority.
The developments come amid reports of power struggles and growing tensions within South Sudan’s government, including disputes over the management of oil revenues between July 2024 and November 2025, during which millions of U.S. dollars are alleged to have disappeared from government accounts. South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, remains mired in economic hardship and political divisions more than a decade after a civil war that killed an estimated 400,000 people between 2013 and 2018.