Denay Chagor, the governor of Jonglei state - (Courtesy).

Former Jonglei State governor Denay Jock Chagor expressed dismay over the recent decision to relieve him from his position, and appealed to President Kiir to reverse the sacking decree.

On Wednesday, President Salva Kiir dismissed Chagor and appointed Majuob Biel Turuk, a member of the National Democratic Movement (NDM), as his successor.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the former governor, also the Chairman of the South Sudan United Movement (SSUM) under the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), described the decision as unilateral.

Denay raised concerns regarding his replacement from the position, which he claims was originally allocated to his SSUM docket, as stipulated in the 2018 peace agreement.

However, the position has now been assigned to a member of the NDM.

“We were surprised yesterday (Wednesday) as a party and as the entire coalition of SSOA, by the decree being read on television,” Chagor said.

“We are not blaming the President. Instead, we are blaming Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi because he created and made that decision by himself, presenting it to the President and trying to act as the President in this matter.”

The office of Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi is yet to comment on the matter.

Chagor emphasized that under the Revitalized Peace Agreement, positions allocated to the SSOA were to be evenly distributed among its member parties.

He argued that any alterations to the power-sharing arrangement should be conducted through a consultative process involving all SSOA members and the Chairperson of SSOA, Hon. Josephine Lagu.

Chagor asserted that unilateral decision-making goes against the operational principles of SSOA as a coalition and the revitalized peace agreement.

“Although the Republican Decree has been announced on 29th May 2024 by the office of the President, we urge all the parties to agreement to respect the peace agreement and the power sharing decision procedures, and therefore we call for the decision to be reversed.”

Chagor said the decision should be promptly reversed in order to maintain the integrity of the peace process.