South Sudan rivals to meet over minister’s firing

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and his first deputy, Riek Machar, are expected to meet on Friday at the State House in the capital, Juba, to discuss the recent dismissal of Defence Minister Angelina Teny.

Mr Kiir also swapped the ministries of defence and interior, taking defence to his political party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the interior ministry to Mr Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO).

The SPLM-IO termed the presidential decrees “unilateral” and “a violation” of the revitalised peace agreement and demanded that Ms Teny be reinstated to her position.

The peace agreement gives parties the power to remove their representatives in the council of ministers and nominate the replacements by notifying the president.

The meeting on the changes was initially planned for Thursday but was moved to Friday at the request of the president, an official in Mr Machar’s office told the BBC.

An international body monitoring the implementation of the revitalised peace agreement has welcomed the announcement of the meeting.

The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) said it was encouraging “consultation to resolve the issue of the removal of the defence minister, and urge the parties to observe the letter and spirit of the revitalised agreement”.