South Sudan’s Kiir sacks central bank governor in senior government reshuffle
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed central bank governor Johnny Ohisa as part of a wider shake-up of senior officials in his government, according to Africanews.
The removal of Ohisa, who had led the Bank of South Sudan, comes amid a broader series of appointments and dismissals across the country’s top institutional ranks, as Africanews reported. Details of an immediate successor at the central bank were not confirmed in the reporting.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation having gained independence from Sudan in 2011, has long grappled with severe macroeconomic instability. The country’s currency, the South Sudanese pound, has experienced significant depreciation over the past decade, driven in part by the civil war that broke out in late 2013 and by the country’s heavy reliance on oil revenues. Inflation has remained a persistent concern for households, and the central bank has periodically adjusted the official exchange rate in efforts to stabilise the economy.
The position of central bank governor has been a politically sensitive one in Juba. Previous changes at the helm of the institution have coincided with major shifts in monetary policy or with broader political realignments during the years of internal conflict. Kiir, who has led South Sudan since independence, signed a revitalised peace agreement with opposition leader Riek Machar in 2018, though implementation has proceeded slowly and insecurity persists in parts of the country.
The reshuffle reported by Africanews places the removal of Ohisa within a wider reorganisation of the government’s senior cadre. Such changes in Juba are often viewed by observers as signals of the president’s confidence in particular officials or factions within the political establishment, though the presidency has not publicly outlined a rationale for the latest moves.
Sources
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