South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has dismissed his vice president, Benjamin Bol Mel, who had been widely viewed as his likely successor.
The decision was announced in a presidential decree read out on state broadcaster SSBC on Wednesday evening. The decree also announced the removal of the country's central bank governor and the head of its revenue authority.
Many observers had seen the 74-year-old president’s declining health as paving the way for Bol Mel to take over.
South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011, is the youngest country in the world. It has faced persistent instability over the years.
Bol Mel, a businessman, was accused in a September UN report of corruption involving oil revenues. His rapid rise in recent months had drawn significant attention.
In February, he was appointed second vice president. Shortly after, he was promoted to first vice president, becoming Kiir’s second-in-command and occupying the post of first deputy chairman of the ruling party. He has also been relieved of that post
Bol Mel, who had the military rank of general, has now been demoted to private, according to Wednesday night's decree.
