South Sudan President Salva Kiir fires police boss

South Sudan President Salva Kiir has sacked police boss Majak Akec Malok, two days after his government denied an attempted coup.

He has replaced Malok with former immigration boss Atem Marol Biar.

President Kiir on Sunday returned to the country from the Saudi-Africa Summit in Riyadh, landing back into a rumour mill about a plot to oust him from power.

The South Sudan Defence Forces (SSDF), however, publicly refuted the rumour.

But sources indicated Kiir could still purge his government, targeting senior security officials. The presidential decree on Tuesday did not explain the reasons for the sacking.

Majak had been Inspector General of Police since 2018 when he was reappointed to the post following the peace agreement between Kiir and various armed factions.

He had held the post before and is a ranking officer in the South Sudan Defence Forces where he served before joining the police. Kiir has been leader of South Sudan since 2005 (then known as Southern Sudan) when he took over from John Garang who had died in a chopper crash.

Kiir would lead the country to independence from Sudan in 2011 but it immediately plunged into war in 2013. He is planning an election that could aid a transition from the current coalition government of armed factions, which could be the first in the country's history.