President Kiir Sacks Army Chief Of Staff

This article was last updated on May 26, 2022

Canada: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…

Kiir also sacked the army director general of Military Intelligence Paul Mach.The sacking of the SPLA chiefcomes barely four months after bhe internal armed conflict began between the government forces and rebels loyal to ex Vice President Dr. Riek Machar.

“In exercise of the powers conferred upon me under article 153(2) of the Transactional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan 2011AD, read together with section 13b of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army Act 2009, I General Salva Kiir Mayardit President of the Republic of South Sudan and Commander in Chief of the SPLA do hereby issue this Republican Decree for the relieve of Gen. James Gen. Hoth Mai from his position as the South Sudan People’s Liberation Army SPLA Chief of General Staff with effect from April 23, 2014AD,” the decree read.

South Sudan since December fell hostage to conflicts after a coup attempt allegedly by the former ex Vice President Dr. Riek Machar. Estimated 10,000 people have been killed according to agencies and close to a million people displaced. Gen. Hoth Mai was immediately replaced by the Governor of Northern Bar El Ghazal State, Gen. Paul MalongAwan who comes from the Dinka largest ethnic group in South Sudan.

Gen. Hoth Mai comes from the Nuer second largest ethnic group in South Sudan. He was appointed to the position of the SPLA Chief of Staff before the secession of South Sudan in 2011. He also replaced then chief of staff Gen. Oyai Deng Ajak who is currently on trial for treason charges. Oyai is among several ex politicians accused of being involved in over throwing Kiir’s government last December.

Kiir also replaced Gen. Paul Mach, the Director for Military Intelligence with Gen. MarialNour. There are no reasons outlined for the sacking of the two top army officers but sources within the government attribute it to the several setbacks incurred by the army in recent months on the on-going civil war on the northern part of the country.

Hoth Mai was sacked after the rebels took control of three key oil towns in the northern part of the country; Bentiu, Mayom and Renk. The United Nations on Monday accused the rebels of massacres carried out in Bentiu in which estimated over 200 people belonging to different ethnic back grounds were killed.

The army had earlier on explained that internal conspiracy carried out by some SPLA loyal to the rebels within the government forces are the main causes of the defeat of the SPLA by the rebels. The sacking of Gen. Hoth is received with mixed reactions, creating tension in the capital Juba.