Mel now serves as Vice President, Chairperson of the Economic Cluster, and SPLM First Deputy Chairman, ascending to the key positions in February and May 2025, respectively.
In a brief address to the media, Dr. Igga struck a conciliatory tone, emphasising collaboration and continuity.
“I came to say ‘hi’ and as a matter of fact, we share a lot in common in the areas of governance, SPLM, and this docket he’s holding for the Economic Cluster,” Igga said, a longtime loyalist of Kiir and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).
Reflecting on his 13 years in government, he expressed optimism about working together with Mel to “improve the welfare of the people of South Sudan, and specifically the welfare of the SPLM.”
Igga downplayed the significance of his removal from the key positions, noting that such changes are commonplace. “Changes within the government all over the world are like that. Nobody is permanent,” he remarked.
The visit and statement signal Igga’s intent to maintain a cooperative relationship with Mel and the current leadership, potentially easing concerns about political tensions within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the government.
Igga was one of the veteran members replaced by Kiir in a decree read on the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation last week, with Kuol Manyang Juk also featuring among prominent faces.
During the swearing-in ceremony, Kiir claimed that the move was to entrust leadership in the hands of young people, a stance widely seen as ironic by citizens, given the age brackets of the new appointees, which, like that of their predecessors, fall outside the youth age range.
