South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit has dismissed the last remaining state governor loyal to First Vice President Riek Machar, in a move critics say violates the 2018 peace agreement and risks deepening the country’s political crisis.
In a presidential decree broadcast late Monday on state-run South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), Kiir appointed Gen. Sherif Daniel Sherif as governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal state. Sherif is a member of a breakaway faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In-Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by Peacebuilding Minister Stephen Par Kuol.
Sherif replaces Emmanuel Primo Okello, who was appointed in November under Machar’s recommendation, in line with the power-sharing provisions of the 2018 revitalized peace deal.
The agreement granted Machar’s SPLM-IO the authority to nominate governors for Upper Nile, Western Equatoria, and Western Bahr el Ghazal states. Kiir had already removed the governors of Upper Nile and Western Equatoria states earlier this year.
With Okello’s dismissal, Machar’s faction no longer holds any gubernatorial posts.
“This new appointment appears orchestrated either by Kuol’s faction or by the SPLM-IG [SPLM in Government],” Pal Mai Deng, spokesperson for Machar’s SPLM-IO, told Radio Tamazuj.
“What we want to confirm is that no one of us in the SPLM-IO can be appointed again by the president. Also, what we have known so far is that even those appointed in the name of the SPLM-IO under Stephen Par are not recommended by him,” Pal said.
“SPLM-IG does its own consultations with those to be appointed in the name of SPLM-IO and then later on directs Par Kuol to write the name of the person it wants to appoint. Par has no option but to write the name to be submitted to the president,” he added.
Pal, who previously served as national minister of water and irrigation and was dismissed by Kiir last month, said Machar’s group is now completely sidelined from the state leadership structure.
“If we have the governors of Upper Nile, Western Equatoria removed, and now the governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal state removed, then we are left with no one,” he said.
Asked whether the firings signal a collapse of the peace deal, Pal said the SPLM-IO is still waiting for Kiir’s faction to officially declare the agreement defunct.
“We, as SPLM-IO, believe that the only way to keep South Sudan in sustainable peace is through commitment to the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement,” he said. “But I can say the agreement is severely damaged, and it will be difficult for it to come back to life.”
Regarding the path forward amid rising political and security tensions, Pal said: “The ruling SPLM party, led by President Kiir, is the only one to chart the way forward for the country, as it is the one in charge and controlling everything. It has the mantle and tools to dismantle the 2018 peace deal.”
A senior official from the SPLM-IO interim leadership under Stephen Par confirmed that Sherif Daniel Sherif is a member of their faction but declined to provide further details. Little is publicly known about the new governor.
The president’s spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.
Machar, Kiir’s longtime political rival, has been under house arrest since March 26. The government accuses him of fueling violence in Nasir County, Upper Nile state—allegations his allies deny as politically motivated.
The United Nations has warned that the country is at risk of sliding back into widespread conflict. The United States and several Western embassies have urged the government to de-escalate tensions and release detained opposition figures.
Machar and Kiir signed the 2018 peace agreement to end a five-year civil war that claimed an estimated 400,000 lives. But key provisions—such as unifying armed forces, drafting a permanent constitution, and preparing for national elections—remain unfulfilled.
Efforts to implement the agreement have been further complicated by a split within the SPLM-IO. In April, a Juba-based faction led by Kuol declared an interim leadership and pledged cooperation with Kiir. Machar’s loyalists, under acting chairman Oyet Nathaniel, rejected the move.
Officials aligned with Kiir have since indicated that they plan to proceed with the peace process without Machar’s faction, further isolating the detained opposition leader.
More presidential decrees
Separately, President Kiir has dismissed Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Dr. Wek Mamer Kuol and appointed Dr. Joseph Geng Akec as his replacement.
Dr. Geng, who had served as Minister of Youth and Sports for nearly two years, hails from Northern Bahr el Ghazal and is widely seen as a close ally of Vice President for the Economic Cluster, Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel.
In a related move, Kiir also dismissed Mary Nawai as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and appointed her to as the new Minister of Youth and Sports. The president also appointed Dr. Wek Mamer as the new Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.
Kiir also removed Taban Abel as Deputy Commissioner of the South Sudan Revenue Authority, naming John Madiing as his replacement.
In a separate appointment, Counsel Sarah Peter Nyot, the wife of Vice President Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, was named Counsel General in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.