South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed Vice-President Dr Benjamin Bol Mel from his position and removed him as First Deputy Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), hours after his security detail was withdrawn from his residence and office in the capital, Juba, amid rising political tensions.

In a presidential decree broadcast on state television late on Wednesday, President Kiir dismissed Mel without naming a replacement. The government has not provided a reason for the removal.

Earlier in the day, several of Mel’s close associates told Radio Tamazuj that security forces assigned to the vice-president had been withdrawn without prior notice. It remains unclear whether Dr Bol Mel is under any form of restriction, and officials have not commented publicly on the developments.

Sources have reported growing tensions within the government, including alleged power struggles and disputes over the management of oil revenues between July 2024 and November 2025, during which millions of US dollars are alleged to have vanished from government accounts.

Dr Bol Mel, 52, was appointed vice-president and head of the government’s economic cluster in February, replacing veteran politician Dr James Wani Igga. In May, he was also named First Deputy Chairman of the SPLM, a move seen as strengthening his influence within the party.

President Kiir promoted him to the rank of full general in the National Security Service (NSS) in September — his third major elevation within a year. The promotion fuelled speculation that he was being groomed as a potential successor to Kiir, particularly after First Vice-President Riek Machar was charged with treason earlier this year.

Kiir also issued a decree this evening demoting Bol Mel from the rank of full general to private in the NSS and dismissing him from the service.

Other decrees

In separate decrees, Kiir removed Prof. Paul Logale Jumi as SPLM Secretary General, appointing Akol Paul Kordit as his replacement.

The president also dismissed Dr Addis Ababa Othow as Governor of the Bank of South Sudan, naming Yeni Samuel Costa as his successor. Simon Akuei Deng, Commissioner General of the South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA), was also removed, with William Anyuon Kuol appointed as the new head of the agency.

The dismissed officials are widely believed to have been appointed by President Kiir under the influence of Bol Mel.