Former First Deputy Chairman of South Sudan’s ruling SPLM party, James Wani Igga, urged calm following President Salva Kiir’s decision to remove him from the position.
Igga was also dismissed as vice president for economic cluster in February and replaced by Benjamin Bol Mel.
Speaking to state media on Tuesday after meeting with his successor, Igga described government changes as normal and stressed that no one holds power indefinitely.
“People should remain calm. Nobody is permanent in government,” he said.
He added that he and Mel share common goals in governance and economic matters.
“I came to say hi, and as a matter of fact, we share a lot in common and we will be sharing a lot in common in the area of governance and other areas, including economic. So I think we will be useful,” Igga said.
The former vice president did not specify his next steps but emphasized cooperation.
“We agreed to cooperate in different ways for the welfare of the people of South Sudan and the welfare of the SPLM. So we are going to be consulting and working in solidarity,” he said.
His remarks come a week after his dismissal, which followed a broader reshuffle of the SPLM leadership amid renewed conflict and speculation over Kiir’s political future.
Kiir, 73, promoted Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel as the SPLM’s first deputy chairperson, weeks after the United Nations warned that South Sudan risked sliding back into civil war.
Last week’s shake-up demoted several liberation struggle veterans, including Igga.
The move follows months of political instability, during which opposition leader and First Vice President Riek Machar was placed under house arrest over allegations of plotting rebellion.