South Sudan vice president says political reshuffle threatens peace deal

Juba: South Sudan's vice president has said the president's decision to remove politicians in an unexpected reshuffle violates the country's 2018 peace deal, and urged leader Salva Kiir to reinstate them.

Kiir fired two of the five vice-presidents in his unity government, promoting ally Benjamin Bol Mel to vice-president in charge of the economic portfolio as well as sacking his new spy chief, in a presidential decree read out on state television late Monday.

The president's decree gave no reason for the reshuffle, but Sudanese media have speculated it was to line up potential successors for the septuagenarian.

Kiir's rival Vice President Riek Machar said late Tuesday that "the decrees violate the replace and removal procedures under Article 1.13 of the R-ARCSS", referencing the 2018 peace deal.

He went on to say the "decrees threaten the very existence of the Agreement."

Just two years after finally obtaining independence in 2011, South Sudan descended into a brutal five-year civil war. It was brought to an end by the power-sharing deal between the two men, with other opposition figures holding key posts.

Under the agreement, Kiir was meant to consult with the other parties before removing their vice-presidents or ministers from their government posts.

It follows a move in September last year when he further postponed already delayed polls that had been scheduled under the country's transitional agreement for December.

The world's youngest country remains dogged by violence, with the British charity Oxfam saying Wednesday two of its workers had been killed in central Jonglei State.