By: ThinkBuskness Africa
President Salva Kiir of South Sudan has dismissed Finance Minister Dr. Bak Barnaba Chol after only three months in office, marking the ninth time the position has changed hands since 2020.
The move, announced late Monday on state television, comes as the world’s youngest nation battles a crippling economic crisis characterized by hyperinflation and a currency in freefall.
President Kiir has reappointed former finance minister Salvatore Garang Mabiordit to lead the Ministry of Finance. Garang is a veteran of Juba’s revolving-door cabinet, having previously served as Finance Minister from 2018 to 2020 and briefly again in 2023.
During his previous tenures, Garang faced intense scrutiny over fiscal management, though his supporters point to his deep institutional knowledge of the country’s oil-dependent economy.
The presidential decree did not stop at the Finance Ministry. In an apparent attempt to centralize control over dwindling state coffers, the President also fired the National Revenue Authority Commissioner (NRA).
The dismissals come at a time of extreme hardship for South Sudanese citizens. The South Sudanese pound has lost approximately 50% of its value against the US dollar in the first two months of 2026 alone.
The ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan has severely hampered South Sudan’s ability to export crude oil—the lifeblood of its national budget, this the primary reason fueling economic pressure in the East African nation.
Civil servants and members of the security forces have reportedly gone without pay for over six months, leading to fears of social unrest and a further breakdown in public services.
No reason was given for the dismissal of the former finance minister.
