JUBA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has reshuffled his government, dismissing Foreign Affairs Minister Monday Semaya Kumba and Internal Security Bureau Director General Mawien Mawien Ariik.
In a presidential decree broadcast Wednesday evening on state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation, Kiir appointed James Pitia Morgan as the new minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation.
Before his most recent role as presidential envoy to the Great Lakes region, Pitia served as foreign minister from August 2023 to April 2024.
Kiir appointed Akec Tong Aleu as director general of the Internal Security Bureau. Aleu, a former undersecretary in the Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs, also served as director general of the National Security Service Bureau.
The president also dismissed Trade and Industry Minister Atong Kuol Manyang and Youth and Sports Minister Mary Nawai Martin.
He appointed Labanya Margaret Mathya Ugila as the new minister of trade and industry, while Manyang was reassigned as minister of youth and sports.
Boboya James Edimon, chief executive of the Institute of Social Policy Research, a Juba-based think tank, said the changes could reflect concerns over diplomatic engagement and internal governance.
"This suggests dissatisfaction with the level of diplomatic input, particularly during recent high-level regional engagements," Boboya told Xinhua.
The restructuring in the security sector may indicate efforts to strengthen oversight and coordination, he said.
"The appointments point to an attempt to reinforce control and improve the management of sensitive information within the security apparatus," Boboya said. ■
