Kiir sacks Unity State governor, reappoints Manytuil

JUBA — South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has dismissed Riek Bim Top as governor of Unity State and reappointed Joseph Nguen Manytuil to the position, according to a presidential decree issued Monday evening.

The decree, read on state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), did not provide reasons for the sudden removal of Riek Bim Top, who had served in the role for about two years after his appointment in May 2024.

The decision came just hours after Sudans Post published an investigation into the March 1 Abiemnom massacre, which left at least 169 civilians dead, raising immediate questions about the timing of the leadership change.

The investigation examined competing claims surrounding the attack and found that responsibility remains contested. Government officials in both Unity State and the neighboring Ruweng Administrative Area (RAA) had attributed the violence to elements of the armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO).

However, community leaders and local sources cited in the report strongly disputed this account.

Instead, the investigation presented testimonies and field accounts indicating that the attackers were predominantly armed youth from Mayom County, who were mobilized following localized tensions and alleged killings of Mayom civilians at checkpoints in Abiemnom in February 2026.

According to multiple sources, these youth were not acting independently. Community leaders and former officials from the RAA alleged that the attack was carried out with logistical and military backing from elements within the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces’ (SSPDF) 4th Infantry Division.

Some of those cited in the investigation directly accused senior Unity State authorities of prior knowledge of the operation. These included the state governor, the commissioner of Mayom County, and senior SSPDF commanders, who were alleged to have facilitated or enabled the mobilization of the “Terchuong” militia as a proxy force.

The investigation also traced the weapons used in the attack to a broader military supply chain. Evidence gathered by Sudans Post indicated that arms captured from Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) units following their withdrawal from Heglig in December 2025 were absorbed into SSPDF stockpiles and subsequently redistributed to allied militias in Unity State.

Sources in Bentiu, Juba, and Pan Akuach told Sudans Post that these weapons were transferred to Mayom County in early 2026, where they were used to arm youth mobilized for operations in contested areas.

This redistribution of weapons, combined with existing tensions, contributed to the scale and coordination of the March 1 attack, which witnesses described as a planned assault rather than a spontaneous act of revenge.

Manytuil’s reappointment marks a reversal of Kiir’s May 2024 decision, when the long-time governor was dismissed and replaced by Riek Bim Top, an army general who was at the time of his appointment to governor position working as deputy director of the directorate of military justice.

That earlier decree also did not provide reasons for the change, despite longstanding allegations of human rights abuses during Manytuil’s tenure.

Manytuil, who had served as governor since 2013, has been repeatedly accused by local activists, international organizations, and a UN Panel of Experts of involvement in serious human rights violations, including attacks on civilians and the use of armed youth militias.

His tenure was also marked by intercommunal violence in Unity State, particularly involving forces linked to Mayom County.

Despite these allegations, Manytuil has remained a central political figure and a long-time ally of President Kiir, maintaining influence within both political and security structures in the state.

The government has not publicly linked the latest dismissal to the findings of the Abiemnom investigation.

As in previous cases, no official explanation was provided, consistent with a broader pattern in South Sudan where senior officials are removed or reassigned without public justification, even in cases involving widely reported security incidents.

There was no immediate response from the presidency or military authorities regarding the allegations outlined in the investigation.