By Enyichukwu Enemanna
President of South Sudan has dismissed the country’s long-serving Intelligence Chief, replacing him with a close ally, state broadcaster SSBC reported, citing a presidential decree.
President Salva Kiir removed Akol Koor Kuc from office late Wednesday after 13 years in office, having headed the controversial internal security bureau of the National Security Service (NSS) since the country’s independence from Sudan in 2011.
Heritage Times HT had reported that President Kiir’s transitional government had announced another shift in the date of the country’s delayed election.
Read Also: South Sudan: Delayed Election Postponed By 2 Years
The state broadcaster did not quote the presidential decree of citing any reason for the sack of the intelligence chief, analysts have however said his removal from office may not be unconnected with power struggle at the highest levels of the government.
Reuters quoted policy and security analyst Boboya James as saying, “There’s been a lot of reckoning in terms of what to do with Akol Koor. The president doesn’t want very rapid decisions to cause a problem with national security.”
“Now, with the extension of the peace agreement, he would want to consolidate power by beginning to bring loyalists” into government, James was quoted further as saying.
The new intelligence chief, Akec Tong Aleu, is a close ally of Kiir.
Last month, the world’s youngest country that has faced litany of crisis announced that the election planned for December will be delayed for another two years, now to hold December 2026.
President Kiir’s office said critical arrangements, including writing a new constitution for the country will have to be put in place before an election.
Officials have also cited logistical and security challenges, which could not be provided by the end of the year.
A peace deal in 2018 ended a civil war that engulfed the country shortly after creation, lasting for five years, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Frequent clashes between warring communities often spark tension.
President Kiir has remained in charge of a transitional government with his former rival Riek Machar serving as his deputy. Both men are the centre of the war that has killed thousands of people in the country.
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit receives Pope Francis (not pictured) at the Presidential Palace during his apostolic journey, in Juba, South Sudan, February 3, 2023. Photo credit: REUTERS
