South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed Finance Minister Dr. Bak Barnaba Chol just over three months after his appointment, marking the ninth reshuffle at the Finance Ministry since 2020.
State broadcaster ‘South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation’ reported late Monday that he has been replaced by Salvatore Garang Mabiordit, who previously held the portfolio from March 2018 to September 2020, and again from March to August 2023. No official reason was provided for the latest dismissal.
The move forms part of a broader series of presidential decrees. The president also removed Monica Achol Abdel Aguek from her role as Presidential Envoy for Middle East Affairs, a position she had occupied since November 2025.
In addition, William Anyuon Kuol, Commissioner General of the South Sudan Revenue Authority, and his deputy, Moses Rou Ayii, were relieved of their duties and replaced by Ambassador Muon Deng Ajuet and Solomon Ariik Manyok respectively.
Policy analyst Boboya James Edimond told Radio Tamazuj that the repeated changes highlight entrenched weaknesses in economic governance. He argued that replacing individuals without structural reform would not resolve the country’s fiscal crisis, noting concerns over revenue mobilisation and the government’s inability to meet key obligations, including salary payments.
According to Edimond, corruption, weak accountability mechanisms and ineffective public financial management continue to undermine economic stability, despite significant oil and non-oil revenues.
The reshuffle comes amid renewed calls for female leadership at the Finance Ministry. In November, civil society activist Angelina Adhel Malual urged the president to appoint a woman to the post, criticising what she described as years of male-dominated mismanagement since independence in 2011.
She cited prolonged salary arrears, cash shortages in banks and the sharp depreciation of the South Sudanese pound as evidence of deepening hardship for ordinary citizens.