Kiir sacks finance, investment ministers amid South Sudan’s economic turmoil
On Thursday, state-run television announced that Finance Minister Dr. Marial Dongrin Ater and Investment Minister Dr. Dhieu Mathok Diing had been shown the door.
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has sacked his finance and investment ministers, the latest shake-up in a country where economic stewardship has become short-lived.
On Thursday, state-run television announced that Finance Minister Dr. Marial Dongrin Ater and Investment Minister Dr. Dhieu Mathok Diing had been shown the door.
More To Read
- Salva Kiir appoints daughter as Presidential Envoy, stirring nepotism debate
- UN commander welcomes Rwandan troops to South Sudan
- South Sudanese ‘are counting on us’, top UN official tells Security Council
- South Sudan peace deal at risk, RJMEC warns amid rising violence and political arrests
- South Sudan refutes reports on Palestinian displacement talks with Israel
- Uganda army chief Muhoozi meets South Sudan’s Kiir to ease border tensions after deadly clashes
Their replacements, Diing Athian at finance and Joseph Mum Majak at investment, are both familiar faces, recycled from previous stints in equally precarious cabinet posts.
The reshuffle comes as the economy teeters. Since independence in 2011, oil has accounted for nearly all government revenue.
The civil war between 2013 and 2018 gutted production, while fresh conflict in Sudan has disrupted exports.
The IMF projects inflation to reach a dizzying 54.8 per cent in 2025. The pound has shed a third of its value in recent months. Salaries go unpaid; investment is a mirage.
Dongrin, a career technocrat appointed in July 2024, lasted barely a year.
He tried to consolidate government accounts and boost non-oil revenue but, like six finance chiefs before him since 2020, fell victim to the role's instability.
No official reason was given for his removal. Mathok, who took over investment in 2022 with a mandate to lure foreign capital, fared little better.
Violence, frail infrastructure, and weak institutions scared off investors. He, too, was dismissed without explanation.
Athian's return offers little promise. During his previous tenure from 2020 to 2021, he presided over a cash-starved treasury and chronic salary arrears.
His comeback underscores the revolving-door nature of Kiir's cabinet. Joseph Mum Majak, meanwhile, was shuffled out of the trade ministry only in March.
Since the 2018 peace deal, Kiir's SPLM has had to share power with rivals loyal to First Vice President Riek Machar.
Top Stories Today
