JUBA, June 10 — South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has dismissed Johnny Ohisa Damian as Governor of the Bank of South Sudan, just six months after appointing him in December 2024.
In a presidential decree broadcast Monday evening on state-run South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation, Kiir named First Deputy Governor Addis Ababa Othow as Ohisa’s replacement.
In a separate decree, Kiir reappointed Samuel Yanga Mikaya as First Deputy Governor of the Central Bank. Mikaya, along with former Governor James Alic Garang, was previously relieved of his duties in December 2024.
No official reason was provided for the leadership shake-up at the apex bank. However, analysts linked the reshuffle to ongoing volatility in the exchange rate, as the South Sudanese pound continues to weaken against the U.S. dollar.
The transitional unity government has struggled for months to pay salaries to civil servants and members of the organized forces.
The financial strain has been exacerbated by disruptions in oil production caused by the conflict in neighboring Sudan.
South Sudan depends on oil exports to finance about 95 percent of its annual fiscal expenditure, leaving its economy highly exposed to external shocks. (Xinhua)
