Description: In the latest round of political purges in South Sudan, president Salva Kiir continued to tighten his grip on power by firing the speaker of parliament and her deputy. Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba and her deputy, Permena Awerial Aluong were previously accused of corruption and mismanagement of parliamentary funds which Tulio Odongi Ayahu, chief whip of Kiir’s SPLM, said was the main reason for the firing. Kiir appointed Joseph Ngere Paciko and Abuk Paiti Ayiik as the new speaker and deputy speaker following the parliamentary decision to oust the previous officials. The latest round of purges arrive after Kiir fired his economy minister in Aug 2025 in the midst of speculation about his health status and potential successors of the South Sudanese presidency. The country is in the midst of substantial economic and security aggravation while civil war speculation continues to rise.
Impact: South Sudan’s volatile humanitarian and security status coupled with Kiir’s authoritarian purges further complicates the country’s political landscape and highly likely continues to stoke tensions between Kiir and his political opposition and their armed groups. The White Army militia has reignited armed confrontations with government forces in Jan after attacking several military outposts and targeting civilians. Kiir’s purges, despite signaling an obvious grip on power, could also pave the way for unilateral introduction of wartime legislature, expanding the president’s jurisdiction while further crippling the position of his political opponents. The grave security situation in South Sudan is compounded by the civil war in Sudan, which has already spilled across the Chadian border and the escalating tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Instability is expected to persist in the mid – term with Kiir continuing to neutralize political opposition.