World News | South Sudan's Deputy President Says Firing of Officials Threatens Peace Deal with President

Juba, Feb 12 (AP) South Sudan's deputy president says a Cabinet reshuffle this week that saw the removal of multiple senior officials threatens a fragile peace agreement reached with the president in 2018.

Riek Machar, whose political rivalry with President Salva Kiir has in the past exploded into civil war, called for the reinstatement of Health Minister Yolanda Awel Deng and Gen. Alfred Futuyo Karaba, governor of Western Equatoria state.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Gifts French President Emmanuel Macron Chhattisgarh's 'Dokra' Artwork During Paris Visit, JD Vance's Sons Get Wooden Toy Set and Jigsaw Puzzle (See Pics).

Other officials sacked by Kiir include two other vice presidents and the spy chief.

Machar said Tuesday that the unilateral dismissals violate the 2018 power-sharing agreement following which he returned to Juba, the capital, with the title of first vice president of South Sudan.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi To Arrive in Snow-Laden Washington for His First In-Person Interaction With Donald Trump After He Took Charge as US President.

Kiir's “persistent violations through unilateral decisions and decrees threaten the very existence” of the agreement, his statement said.

There was no immediate comment by Kiir or his government.

South Sudan has five vice presidents, according to the 2018 agreement, which ended five years of civil war and was reached with the help of the U.S. and others.

There were high hopes for peace and stability once oil-rich South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011. But the country slid into civil war in December 2013 largely based on ethnic divisions when forces loyal to Kiir started battling those loyal to Machar.

The 2018 peace agreement is yet to be fully implemented. Challenges include the government's failure to implement promised reforms such as completing the unification of the army command. Presidential elections, repeatedly postponed, are now scheduled for 2026.

United Nations experts have previously warned that the stability of South Sudan remains at risk because of missed deadlines and political gridlock on key issues in the unity government's agreement. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)