12/11/2025
BREAKING NEWS: South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed Vice-President Benjamin Bol Mel, who also served as the first deputy chairman of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), and removed him from the National Security Service, state television said late on Wednesday.
The announcement came hours after security officers assigned to Bol Mel’s residence and office in the capital, Juba, were withdrawn without explanation, amid reports of growing political tension within the SPLM.
The decree, read on state TV, said Kiir had relieved Bol Mel of his duties in the government and the party but did not name a replacement. The government has not given a reason for the dismissal.
Bol Mel, 52, was appointed vice-president and head of the government’s economic cluster in February, replacing veteran politician James Wani Igga. In May, he was promoted to first deputy chairman of the SPLM, a move seen as strengthening his position within the party.
In September, President Kiir promoted him to the rank of full general within the National Security Service — his third major elevation in less than a year.
