Juba, South Sudan.
January 4, 2022—A senior opposition commander and former acting military governor of Phow State, Maj. Gen. Peter Puok Koang, has been named the South Sudan’s Deputy Minister of Interior.
Maj. Gen. Peter Puok Koang, a long-term ally of Dr. Riek Machar Teny, since 1990s has emerged as the successful candidate for the most contested position of Deputy Minister of Interior, a position that has been left vacant for nearly two years.
This comes two weeks after Hon. Nyanagwek Kuol, who was the initial SPLM-IO nominee but rejected by President Salva Kiir, advised Machar to move on and try a different candidate.
The Position of Dep Min of Interior was vacated by Capt. Mabior Garang who submitted his resignation in protest to poor security arrangement in 2020.
In a statement reads out on the state owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) yesterday evening, President Kiir issued a republican decree naming SPLM-IO nominee, Maj. Gen. Peter Puok Koang as the newly Deputy Minister of Interior replacing the position which has fallen vacant since the resignation of Mabior Garang.
On 18th of December last year, the Chairperson of the SPLM-IO in the Abyei Special Administrative Area, Nyanegwek Mayom, requested Dr. Riek Machar Teny to revoke her candidacy so that other opposition officials can be appointed.
“I would like to Congratulate Hon. Peter Puok Koang for winning the trust of the SPLM (IO) Leadership to be appointed as the National deputy Minister for the interior after (10) Months due to the rejection of Hon.Nyenagek by the President”, SPLM-IO senior member Dut Majokdit said in a brief statement obtained by Nyamilepedia.
” I appreciate Nyenagek for her courageous decision to decline from the nomination. I wish you all the best in your new assignment Comrade to reform the security sector”, Majokdit added.
The position of Deputy Ministry for Interior has been vacant for almost two years since Cpt. Mabior Garang resigned citing lack of political will from peace partners in early 2020.
Gen. Peter Puok Koang led SPLM/A-IO forces in Northern Upper Nile from early 2014 to 2017 when he was appointed as the Deputy Military Governor of Phou State which he served until early 2020 when military governor positions were officially dissolved by Kiir and Machar.
