South Sudan’s president fires interior minister, wife of detained VP Machar
On Mon, Oct 9, 2023, the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, dismissed Interior Minister Angelina Teny, a senior opposition figure and the wife of detained First Vice President Riek Machar. No reasons were provided for this action.
On Mon, Oct 9, 2023, the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, dismissed Interior Minister Angelina Teny, a senior opposition figure and the wife of detained First Vice President Riek Machar. No reasons were provided for this action.
Angelina Teny has been replaced by Aleu Ayieny Aleu, a veteran loyalist who previously held the position of Interior Minister from 2013 to 2015. This change affects the 2018 peace agreement, which had allocated the Interior Ministry to the opposition under a power-sharing framework.
The opposition has accused President Kiir of undermining the power-sharing agreement. Riek Machar, who joined the unity government in 2020, remains detained along with several associates, facing treason charges related to violence in Nasir, Upper Nile state.
Forces loyal to Machar, supported by allied White Army fighters, have recently made territorial gains against government forces in Jonglei state. They captured Pajut, a strategic town in Duk County, which is on the main road to Bor, the state capital. The government has deployed reinforcements to secure Bor.
On Mon, Oct 9, 2023, the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, dismissed Interior Minister Angelina Teny, a senior opposition figure and the wife of detained First Vice President Riek Machar.
Recent clashes in Unity, Upper Nile, and parts of Central and Eastern Equatoria states have raised concerns among regional and international observers, warning of potential escalation and the unraveling of fragile security arrangements. Key provisions of the 2018 peace deal, including security sector reforms and the unification of forces, remain unimplemented.
Teny had been leading the ministry since March 2023 after a reshuffle, during which President Kiir assumed control of the defense ministry. She has been largely absent from the Interior Ministry since March 2025, following Machar's house arrest. In June 2025, security agents reportedly confiscated her communication devices.
Pal Mai Deng, spokesperson for the opposition, described Teny’s removal as indicative of a government under pressure amid a deteriorating security situation.
Based on reporting by Africanews.
