South Sudan’s Kiir elevates Bol Mel amid tensions over succession
Bol Mel’s promotion comes during a period of political uncertainty and growing speculation about who will succeed Kiir, who is 73.
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has appointed his close ally and Second Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel as deputy chairperson of the ruling SPLM party, a move that signals a possible succession plan amid rising political tensions and renewed fighting in the country.
The appointment was announced in a decree read on state television on Tuesday night, just weeks after the United Nations warned that South Sudan was at risk of slipping back into civil war.
Bol Mel’s promotion comes during a period of political uncertainty and growing speculation about who will succeed Kiir, who is 73.
Bol Mel, who is seen by many analysts as Kiir’s preferred successor, was sanctioned by the United States in 2017 over suspicions that his construction company benefited from favourable government contracts.
His elevation to the party’s second-highest position means that in the event Kiir steps down, he would become the country’s acting president.
The reshuffle also comes as authorities tighten control over First Vice President Riek Machar, who was recently placed under house arrest.
Machar’s camp denied government claims that he was trying to trigger a rebellion and said the decision violated the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war.
Tuesday’s shake-up saw Kiir demote three top veterans of South Sudan’s liberation struggle, including former Second Vice President James Wani Igga, according to the same decree.
