![Bakosoro Joseph Bangasi. [Photo courtesy]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-10-at-7.23.31-AM.jpeg?resize=1000%2C555&quality=89&ssl=1)
Bakosoro made the claims while speaking on Sunday during the third anniversary celebration of the Azande Kingdom in Western Equatoria State’s Yambio, addressing community members, traditional leaders, and government officials.
“I was removed because a fellow Zande vied for the position. But after my removal, a Dinka was appointed instead of the Zande who wanted the position,” Bakosoro claimed.
Bakosoro, who was appointed in November 2023 to the presidential affairs ministerial position, was removed in August last year and was replaced by Chol Ajongo Mawut who was then South Sudan’s ambassador to neighboring Kenya.
Mawut is however an ethnic Lou from Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, not an ethnic Dinka.
Bakosoro did not name the Zande politician he accused of seeking his removal, but political tensions between Bakosoro and Speaker of the National Legislative Assembly Jemma Nunu Kumba, a fellow Azande, have persisted since the 2010 general elections.
In that election, Nunu was ousted as governor of Western Equatoria, with Bakosoro winning the position, marking the start of a significant political rivalry between the two.
He called for unity among the Azande people, emphasizing that their progress as a community depends on collaboration.
“There is still a bigger position ahead of me. But if that fails, I will go home and cultivate,” he said.
He urged the Azande community to put aside their differences and unite for the betterment of the kingdom.
“Without unity, the Azande Kingdom will not progress,” he warned.
The Azande Kingdom’s anniversary celebration brought together cultural groups, government officials, and traditional leaders to commemorate the historical significance of the monarchy.
