By Staff Writer
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit separates the powers and functions of the incumbent Minister of Petroleum, Puot Kang Chuol, the Ministry’s Under-Secretary Mayen Wol, and the Ministry’s director-general in the government of national unity.
Minister Puot Kang serves in the unity government representing the SPLM-IO [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement In-Opposition]—the main opposition group, and signatory to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan [R-ARCSS].
The power-sharing pact, gives the Ministry of Petroleum to the SPLM-IO camp under the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny, whereas, the SPLM mainstream party takes the Finance Ministry and the Bank of South Sudan.
In a Republic order No.03/2024 announced on state-owned television, President Kiir winnowed the powers of the trio-senior civil servants as part of institutional reforms to ensure transparency, accountability, efficiency, and effective provision of services to the oil and gas sector for the benefit of the citizens of South Sudan.
The transitional constitution gives the president the power to initiate institutional reforms and provides that the ministers shall be individually answerable to the president.
Oil accounts for up to 90 percent of government revenue, despite this, the country suffers prolonged power-wrangling and civil wars devastating infrastructures and causing human suffering.
