South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit, who also leads the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), reshuffled the party’s top leadership Tuesday evening, replacing his first deputy with close ally Vice President Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel. Analysts suggest the move could signal Kiir’s preparation for a potential successor.
South Sudan has been formally at peace since a 2018 agreement ended a five-year civil war that killed hundreds of thousands. However, the country remains mired in a humanitarian crisis due to sporadic violence, food insecurity and poor health care.
In decrees announced on state broadcaster late Tuesday, Kiir removed Dr. James Wani Igga, a long-serving liberation war veteran, as first deputy chairperson and secretary-general of the SPLM. He replaced him with Benjamin Bol Mel, a vice president appointed in February 2025 who is seen as increasingly influential in government decision-making.
Bol Mel, a businessman under U.S. sanctions for alleged ties to money-laundering construction firms, oversees the economic portfolio as vice president. His new role as Kiir’s first deputy in the ruling party positions him as a potential successor, according to observers.
The decree did not explain the reshuffle.
Speculation in South Sudan suggests the 73-year-old Kiir may be preparing for an exit, with Bol Mel as his preferred successor.
Kiir and his rival, First Vice President Riek Machar, formed a unity government in 2020 under the 2018 peace deal, alongside other opposition figures in key posts. However, Kiir placed Machar under house arrest on March 26 for his alleged involvement in recent violence in Nasir County.
In another unexpected move, Kiir removed Daniel Awet Akot as SPLM’s second deputy chairperson and Kuol Manyang Juuk as third deputy chairperson. He appointed Mary Apai Ayiga as second deputy chairperson and Simon Kun Puoch, a former governor of Upper Nile state, as third deputy chairperson.
Additional decrees revoked Igga’s position as secretary-general and Ayiga’s as deputy secretary-general.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj after the decrees, political observer Ter Manyang Gatwech warned the reshuffle could disrupt the peace agreement’s implementation due to internal party conflicts.
“The president will face multiple challenges within the ruling party, including from veterans who see him sidelining former comrades,” Gatwech said. “People aren’t surprised by his rapid move to elevate Bol Mel, but there will be serious consequences.”
“Instead of focusing on security arrangements under the peace deal, he’s diverting attention to party politics. In weeks or months, South Sudan could face chaos as the ruling party fractures,” he added.
In September 2024, Kiir and Machar delayed elections for another two years, pushing back a vote originally scheduled under the country’s transitional agreement.
Citizens have waited to choose their leaders since South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after a long struggle.