South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed the country’s military chief and reinstated his predecessor, marking yet another major reshuffle within the top ranks of the armed forces, state-run television announced on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.
The move underscores the ongoing political volatility and leadership instability within South Sudan’s government and military as Kiir, 74, continues to navigate internal conflict and growing speculation about his succession.
Kiir, who has ruled the nation since its independence from Sudan in 2011, leads a transitional government that has twice postponed scheduled elections. His former rival and current First Vice President, Riek Machar, was charged with treason last month , a development that has heightened political tensions across the country.
According to the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation, Kiir appointed Paul Nang Majok as the new Chief of Defence Forces, replacing Dau Aturjong. No reason was provided for the sudden change. Aturjong has now been reassigned as a technical adviser at the Ministry of Defence.
In a similar unexplained decision in July, Kiir had removed Majok after just seven months in office and replaced him with Aturjong. That earlier reshuffle followed intense fighting in the northeast, where the national army was briefly overpowered by a militia linked to Machar’s Nuer ethnic group.
Machar was placed under house arrest in March after being accused of supporting the militia. He is currently facing trial for treason, murder, and crimes against humanity, charges he has vehemently denied. His detention has revived fears of renewed civil war, with his supporters accusing Kiir’s government of breaching the 2018 peace and power-sharing agreement that ended the previous five-year conflict.
Political analysts believe Kiir’s frequent government and military reshuffles are part of a strategy to maintain control and balance competing power blocs within his administration.
Last month, a United Nations panel of investigators accused South Sudan’s leadership of “systematic looting” of the country’s vast resources for personal enrichment, further deepening public frustration in one of the world’s poorest nations.
