The Women’s Block has called upon President Kiir to pick a female as the replacement for Peter Mayen, the former minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.
Peter Mayen was appointed to the position under the umbrella of the Other Political Parties (OPP) in 2020.
In November 2022, President Kiir relieved him through a presidential decree announced on the state-run SSBC. There was no explanation given for Mayen’s dismissal. Since then, the position has remained vacant.
In a statement signed by Chairperson Amer Manyok Deng, the group said a woman would be a better replacement.
“We call upon the government of South Sudan to reconsider 35% women affirmative action in OPP. Dear president, we believe this time round you will give a chance to a woman to represent OPP,” partly reads the statement
Currently, there are eight female ministers out of 35 national ministers and one vice president – a number the Women’s Bloc says is under 35%.
According to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), there should be 12 women in the Council of Ministers.
“Therefore, women parity would reinvigorate gender equality and provide inclusive system of governance in South Sudan” the statement adds.
