By Our Reporter
WORLD
…I, Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan and the Supreme Commander of All Regular Forces, do hereby Demote Gen. Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel to the Rank of Private and is hereby Dismissed from the National Security Service (NSS).”
South Sudan President Salva Kiir has dismissed Vice-President Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel and removed him as First Deputy Chairman of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), hours after security forces abruptly withdrew from Mel’s residence and office in Juba, deepening speculation of an internal power struggle.
He also sacked the Central Bank Governor and the head of the Revenue Authority, both close allies of Bol Mel.
The announcement, delivered in a late-night broadcast on state television Wednesday, offered no explanation for the dismissal and did not name a replacement.
The move comes amid heightened political tensions and reports of widening fractures within the country’s ruling elite.
According to several of Mel’s close associates, security personnel assigned to him were withdrawn earlier in the day without prior notice.
It remains unclear whether the former vice president is under any form of restriction, and officials have made no public comment on the situation.
The dismissal was followed by a second decree — seen in an official document dated 12 November 2025 — in which President Kiir invoked Section 51(4) of the National Security Service Act to strip Bol Mel of his military rank and remove him from the country’s security apparatus entirely.
In the decree seen by this publication, Kiir states: “Pursuant to the provisions of Section 51(4) of the National Security Service Act, 2014 (as amended), I, Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan and the Supreme Commander of All Regular Forces, do hereby Demote Gen. Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel to the Rank of Private and is hereby Dismissed from the National Security Service (NSS).”
The order, issued under Kiir’s hand and presidential seal, effectively ejects Bol Mel — once a rising power within the SPLM — from government, party leadership and the security establishment.
Bol Mel’s removal caps a rapid reversal for the 52-year-old, who had been one of the fastest-advancing political figures in South Sudan.
Appointed vice president and head of the economic cluster in February 2025, he replaced veteran politician James Wani Igga.
Influence
In May, he was elevated to SPLM First Deputy Chairman, consolidating his influence in the party.
