President Salva Kiir kicked out his army chief and brought back a former rebel general. General Dau Aturjong Nyuol takes over the South Sudan Defense Forces after years of fighting against the government. The old army leader Paul Nang Majok lost his job after just seven months. Nobody knows why Kiir made this sudden change. The president announced the shake-up on state television Monday night.
Aturjong used to fight with rebel forces under Vice President Riek Machar during the brutal civil war that started back in 2013. The general comes from the Bahr el Ghazal region and switched sides after the first peace deal in 2015. He joined the regular army when the unity government formed. Majok had been trying to merge different armed groups into one national force. His firing raises questions about whether the peace process can actually work.
Kiir also named new people to run the aviation authority and administrative areas. Michael Lopuke Lotyam becomes the new aviation chief. Gola Boyoi takes charge of the Greater Pibor area. Evans Kenyi Solomon becomes a technical adviser for agriculture. These moves come as Kiir prepares for elections scheduled for December next year. The president recently fired his vice president James Wani Igga from the ruling party and replaced him with Paul Lagole.
Aturjong used to fight with rebel forces under Vice President Riek Machar during the brutal civil war that started back in 2013. The general comes from the Bahr el Ghazal region and switched sides after the first peace deal in 2015. He joined the regular army when the unity government formed. Majok had been trying to merge different armed groups into one national force. His firing raises questions about whether the peace process can actually work.
Kiir also named new people to run the aviation authority and administrative areas. Michael Lopuke Lotyam becomes the new aviation chief. Gola Boyoi takes charge of the Greater Pibor area. Evans Kenyi Solomon becomes a technical adviser for agriculture. These moves come as Kiir prepares for elections scheduled for December next year. The president recently fired his vice president James Wani Igga from the ruling party and replaced him with Paul Lagole.
