South Sudan’s main opposition political party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), is demanding that President Salva Kiir reinstates Defence Minister Angelina Teny.
President Kiir sacked Ms Teny on Friday in a presidential decree. She was the country’s first female defence minister.
The president also dismissed Interior Minister Mahmoud Solomon. No reasons were given for their sacking.
Mr Kiir also swapped the Ministry of Defence to his political party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Interior Ministry to the SPLM-IO.
The SPLM-IO has “condemned and rejected” the “unilateral removal” of Ms Teny.
It called it a violation of the revitalised peace agreement, which gives parties the power to remove their representatives in the council of ministers and nominate the replacements by notifying the president.
It said swapping of the ministries also violates the provisions of the peace agreement – which require the parties to agree on the allocation and selection of ministerial portfolios in the unity government.
In a statement, Riek Machar, the SPLM-IO leader and the first vice-president, called for the president to “revoke the unilateral decree”, adding that his party was committed to the revitalised agreement.
Analysts say the latest move seems to suggest that the relations between Mr Kiir and Mr Machar “remain strained”.
