SSPD CDF Gen. Santino Wol Speaks at the redeployment of NUF/Photo by Awan Moses

President Salva Kiir relieved army chief Gen. Santino Deng Wol and reappointed him as Undersecretary for Veteran Affairs in the Ministry of Defence before sacking the Inspector General of Police Gen. Atem Marol in decrees read on state media on Monday.

Kiir has named the SSPDF Chief of Military Operations Gen. Paul Nang Majok as the new Chief of Defence Force and Gen. Abraham Manyuat as Inspector General of Police.

Gen. Santino Deng Wol was appointed as CDF in April 2021 to replace Gen. Johnson Juma Okot who assigned as grade one Ambassador to Belgium. Before his appointment, Gen. Wol served as 3rd Infantry Division commander in Northern Bahr el Ghazal from 2007 to 2017.

Kiir replaced longtime police chief, General Majak Akec in November 2023 with Gen. Atem Marol – who had served as Director-General of the Department of Nationality, Passport, and Immigration.

The replacement of Gen. Deng and Gen. Marol follows a series of top brass overhauls which have since ended Gen. Akol Koor Kuc’s 13-year tenure as spy chief, relieved his deputy Lt. Gen. Louis Natale and transferred the Commander of Presidential Guards, Maj. Gen. Lual Wek, to the 1st Infantry Division.

A month after the removal of Gen. Kuc, heavy gunfire erupted at his residence in the Tongpiny area on November 21 following alleged “misunderstanding” between SSPDF soldiers assigned to guard his home and those attempting to relocate him from Tongpiny to his Jebel residence.

The army spokesperson confirmed that four people were killed during the sporadic fighting in Juba, including two soldiers and two civilians, both of whom were run over by an armored personnel carrier.

Bilpam then commenced an inquiry into the fighting in Juba, and urged wounded persons, families of loved ones killed in crossfire, and those who incurred property damage to report to army headquarters with the right documentation.

In a press statement on December 3, SSPDF Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai said the investigation committee  led by Gen. Koang Chuol started its work by visiting former NSS chief, Akol Koor and took his statement about the incident.