April 8th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan government and representatives of the former detainees in the nation’s capital Juba planned to replace the country’s Foreign Minister Deng Alor Kuol, sources with knowledge of the meeting told the Nyamilepedia.
According to the 2015 peace agreement signed between the South Sudan’s warring parties, former detainees are entitled to appoint a person to head two ministries among which is the Foreign Ministry.
According to the source who preferred anonymity, two members of the former detainees in the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) and the South Sudanese president Salva Kiir Mayardiit agreed in a meeting last week to replace foreign minister Deng Alor Kuol. However, the source didn’t explain which side of the agreement proposed the initiative.
Last month, president Salva Kiir meet with representatives of the Former Detainees who were representing the group in the current TGoNU. John Luk Jok, Minister of Transport and Madut Biar, a member of parliament representing the group in the Transitional Legislative Assembly (TLA) reportedly met to discuses the way forwards in regards to Alor’s case. The meeting was held in absence of the foreign minister.
The foreign minister has been outside the country since suspension of the second phase of the revitalization forum on February 16. Deng Alor, previously, accused the government of president Salva Kiir in Juba of humiliating him since he took up his top-diplomat position in the unity government in 2016.
Last week, Kiir’s official spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said the president has the right to remove Deng Alor if his group recommeded to the president to do so.
“Deng can be removed by the president is the former detainees recommend that Deng Alor should be sacked and replaced with another person from the group” Ateny told the Radio Tamazuj last week.
However, Kosti Manibe, the group’s spokesman said such moves, if implemented, are unacceptable to the agreement that provides for a unity government.
