South Sudan President Calls for Calm Amid Rumors of Army Tension

Salva Kiir’s patronage network seen at risk of disintegration
Economic malaise has fueled fears of a return to civil war

Salva Kiir
Photographer: Stefanie Glinski/AFP/Getty Images

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By Simon Marks and Okech Francis

November 28, 2024 at 4:38 PM UTC

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South Sudan President Salva Kiir called on the population to remain calm amid rumors that the dismissal of a number of top military officials may trigger violence in the conflict-prone nation.

Kiir, a former rebel leader who became South Sudan’s first president after it gained independence from Sudan in 2011, has cancelled elections scheduled for next month. He’s also struggling to contain a cash crisis after a pipeline carrying oil that accounts for more than 90% of government revenue ruptured inside war-torn Sudan.