Kiir replaces army commander who turned down appointment as security advisor

JUBA — South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has issued a presidential decree replacing General Garang Mabil Deng as gubernatorial advisor for peace and security of the restive Warrap state, several months after the top army general turned down the appointment.

General Mabil was appointed in February when Kiir reconstituted the transitional government of Warrap state, but refused to take up the position describing it as “disappointing appointment” because he wasn’t consulted in the position he was going to take.

Mabil’s replacement comes after the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a statement yesterday that it was concerned about an increase in extrajudicial killings by state authorities in both Lakes and Warrap states.

The decree read out on the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) did not mention why the army commander was removed, but it is the apparent refusal by Mabil to take up the important position.

He appointed Francis Abur as the new Warrap state gubernatorial advisor for peace and security.

In another decree, Kiir fired  Warrap State minister of cabinet affairs, Akech Tong Aleu, and appointed Santino Ding Wek as the new state cabinet minister.