Ofure Akhigbe
On 11 November 2025, South Sudan’s Vice-President Benjamin Bol Mel was dismissed by President Salva Kiir in a surprise move that has heightened fears of political instability and renewed conflict.
Kiir stripped Bol Mel of his military rank of general and removed him from the National Security Service (NSS). The president also sacked the central bank governor and the head of the revenue authority, both considered close allies of Bol Mel. No explanation was given for the dismissals, which were announced in a decree broadcast on state television.
Bol Mel, 47, had only been appointed vice-president in February, replacing veteran politician and general James Wani Igga. He was later elevated to first deputy chairman of the ruling SPLM party, a position analysts said strengthened his influence and marked him as a potential successor to the 74-year-old Kiir. Bol Mel was also promoted to full general in the NSS despite previously facing US sanctions over alleged corruption in 2017, which were renewed earlier this year. Kiir’s office denied the US description of Bol Mel as his “principal financial advisor.”
Hours before the announcement, Bol Mel’s security detail was reportedly withdrawn from his residence and office in Juba. A senior government official, speaking anonymously, described him as a “divisive figure,” while a taxi driver in the capital said, “Everybody hates this man. Even in his home town of Aweil, people celebrated his dismissal.”
Bol Mel’s removal follows a series of high-profile political dismissals in South Sudan, including opposition leader Riek Machar earlier this year. With no replacements announced, the dismissal underscores growing tensions in the oil-rich nation, which has struggled with sporadic violence since its independence in 2011.
The ousting of Bol Mel marks a dramatic shift in South Sudan’s leadership and raises questions about the country’s fragile political future.