President Salva Kiir of South Sudan has dismissed on June 9 the Governor of the Bank of South Sudan, Johnny Ohisa Domian, in the midst of an escalating economic crisis marked by rampant inflation, acute cash shortages, and unpaid public sector wages.
In a decree aired on state media, Kiir named the bank’s first deputy Governor, Addis Ababa Othow, in replacement Domian. The presidency offered no official explanation for the shake-up, though the financial sector’s ongoing dysfunction has placed increasing pressure on the Central bank’s leadership.
Addis Ababa Othow, who ascended to the top role after serving as first deputy governor since February 2025, will now be tasked with navigating the country’s turbulent economic waters. In a parallel move, Samuel Yanga Mikaya was reappointed as first deputy governor, having previously held the position from October 2023 to December 2024. These appointments signal a strategic reshuffling at the helm of the nation’s monetary authority as South Sudan faces mounting fiscal challenges.
In a broader restructuring effort, President Kiir also replaced the general manager of the state electricity corporation, installing Joseph Awur Ajak in place of Bech Awan Deng, who has been reassigned as a technical adviser at the Ministry of Energy and Dams. The reshuffles come amid a backdrop of deep-rooted economic fragility, exacerbated by political volatility and disruptions in oil production—South Sudan’s economic lifeline—partly due to the protracted conflict in neighboring Sudan.