By Kiden Stela Mandela
President Salva Kiir Mayardit has relieved two national ministers that’s the minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs, Angelina Teny, and the minister of Interior Mahmoud Solomon via a Presidential Decree read over the State-run broadcaster SSBC on Friday evening.
The two vital security sector ministries in the reconstituted transitional government of national unity (R-TGONU) fall under the dockets of the SPLM-IO and ruling SPLM parties respectively.
However, in an additional announcement on the same evening, President Kiir also issued a separate order for swapping the ministry of defense and that of interior between the SPLM in government and the SPLM in opposition.
The Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs has now been given to the SPLM-IG while the ministry of Interior surrendered to the SPLM-IO which used to be the other way around. In the original power-sharing Portfolio among the peace parties, the ministry of defense was allocated to the SPLM-I.O. and that of Interior to SPLM in government.
As usual, there was no reason given for the relief of the two national ministers who held the two key security sector dockets before the swapping of the two ministries between the incumbent government and the main opposition party. The minor changes come barely 9 days after the R-TGONU started leaving on its bonus 24 months extended interim period.