President Salva Kiir of South Sudan has fired Vice President Benjamin Bol, a once-powerful ally and rumored successor, sparking fears of renewed political unrest.
The announcement, made late Wednesday on state television, gave no reason for Bol’s removal. The presidential decree also stripped Bol of his role as first deputy chairman of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and demoted him from general to private in the military.
Bol, a wealthy businessman and longtime associate of Kiir, was previously sanctioned by the United States under the Magnitsky Act for alleged corruption. His sudden ouster, coming just hours after reports surfaced that his security detail had been reduced, is fueling speculation about deepening divisions within Kiir’s inner circle.
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Bol’s office had earlier dismissed rumors of his political isolation as “unfounded,” but his removal now confirms growing fractures within the leadership of the world’s youngest nation.
The development adds to South Sudan’s fragile political climate, already strained by the suspension of Vice President Riek Machar, who is facing treason charges after clashes earlier this year between loyalist and government forces.
United Nations peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix warned the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that the situation in South Sudan was “approaching a breaking point,” urging swift action to restore peace efforts.
“Time is running dangerously short,” Lacroix said, emphasizing the risk of the country sliding back into civil war.
A 2018 peace agreement ended five years of conflict that broke out shortly after South Sudan gained independence in 2011, but its implementation has lagged. The repeatedly delayed presidential elections have further eroded public trust and heightened instability.
Bol, who had served as President Kiir’s key financial adviser before his appointment as vice president in February 2025, is now out of government entirely following Wednesday’s decree. His removal is widely viewed as a significant reshuffle that could reshape South Sudan’s political landscape.
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