By Brian Kiprono & agencies - Reporter
November, 18 2025 - South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has launched one of his most far-reaching political shake-ups in years, reinstating veteran ally Dr James Wani Igga as vice president and bringing back Mabior Garang, the son of the country’s founding leader, to the national cabinet.
The late-night decrees, broadcast on state television, ended days of speculation and signalled a fresh attempt by Kiir to reassert control over a government strained by internal rivalries, economic frustrations and the fragile 2018 peace deal that guides the country’s power-sharing structure.
Igga, a seasoned politician and long-time liberation comrade, returns as vice president for the Economic Cluster, nine months after his dismissal. His reinstatement comes after the removal of businessman-turned-politician Benjamin Bol Mel, whose rapid rise, and equally swift fall, had stirred unease within the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).
Bol Mel not only lost the vice-presidency but was stripped of his four-star general rank and expelled from the National Security Service, amid murmurs of power struggles and alleged misuse of public funds.
In another high-profile comeback, Mabior Garang has been named Minister of Environment. His appointment carries symbolic weight: he is the eldest son of the late Dr John Garang, the SPLM’s founding leader whose legacy still shapes the nation’s political identity.
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His return raises quiet questions about whether it may influence the position of his mother, Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior, who serves as one of the country’s five vice presidents.
The reshuffle also swept away long-serving Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth, a central figure in government communications for over a decade, who now moves to the Justice docket. Ateny Wek Ateny, Kiir’s former press secretary, replaces him as the new government spokesperson.
Other major departures include Roads and Bridges Minister Simon Mijok Mijak, Environment Minister Josephine Napwon Cosmos, and Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech, a close ally of Bol Mel who received no new posting.
Kiir also dismissed Inspector General of Police Gen. Abraham Manyuat Peter, reinstating Gen. Saeed Chawul Lom, who held the position in 2017. At the state level, Central Equatoria Governor Rubi Mujung was removed and replaced by Emmanuel Adil Anthony, himself a former governor.
No explanations were given for the sweeping changes. However, under the 2018 peace agreement, Kiir is empowered to hire and dismiss officials across national and state levels.
