Why South Sudan Has Five Vice Presidents

Written by | October 8, 2024| Profiles, Quick Reads

South Sudan

South Sudan is one of several countries in the world that have multiple Vice Presidents, and it is often for the same reasons.

The briefest answer is: War.

The short answer is that it is not just any 5 Vice Presidents, they are mainly representatives of different armies/militias involved in the South Sudan conflict. It is a power sharing agreement meant to:

  1. Keep the peace
  2. Water down Riek Machar’s (First Vice President since 2020 and for two short months in 2016, former Vice President 2005–2011, 2011–2013) power in government.

Now, for the long answer.

South Sudan has been a mess since it won independence. It was a mess even before, but the different factions then could focus (for some of the time at least) on one enemy. Since it became independent in 2011, it has seen attempted coups, civil strife, and outright civil war.

To understand why it has 5 current Vice Presidents, let’s see who they are and who they represent.

  1. Riek Machar, First Vice President and leader of SPLM-IO, the primary antagonist of the Juba government (whether he is inside or outside really).
  2. James Wani Igga, Second Vice President and Secretary General of the ruling SPLM. This is in fact a demotion, as he was the VP from 2013 to 2020.
  3. Taban Deng Gai, Third Vice President and leader of the SPLM-IO (Juba faction). Deng was formerly a Machar loyalist, he crossed sides and fought against Machar’s forces, who now view him as a traitor. His presence since 2016 weakens Machar’s side.
  4. Rebecca Nyandeng Garang, Fourth Vice President and widow of the Dr. John Garang, who was president of the autonomous region of Sudan. Her presence strengthens President Kiir’s hold on the ruling SPLM.
  5. Hussein Abdelbagi, Fifth Vice President and high-ranking member of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance. He is the highest ranking politician of Muslim faith in the South Sudan government.

This distribution is not accidental. Under the 2018 peace agreement, Kiir got 2 Vice Presidents, 21 ministers, five deputy ministers, and 332 parliament members. Machar got 1 (and First) Vice President, nine ministers, three deputy ministers and 128 parliament members. The South Sudan Opposition Alliance got one vice president, three ministers, one deputy minister, and 50 parliamentarians. The Former Detainees group will have one vice president, two ministers and 10 parliament members.

There are other countries in the world with more than one Vice President. One is Afghanistan, which has had three Vice Presidents (known as Deputy Leader) since August 2021. Given the return of the Taliban to power, the context and reasons why Sijaruddin Haqqani, Mullah Yaqoob, and Abdul Ghani Baradar are in that position is immediately clear.

Costa Rica has Stephan Brunner and Mary Munive; Guyana has Mark Philips and Bharrat Jagdeo.

The record seems to belong to Iran, which has one First Vice President, Mohammad Reza Aref, and then 10 more people who hold the title Vice President, although they are kept busy with other actual positions as ministers and heads of organisation. Sorena Sattari, for example, is the Vice President for Science and Technology Affairs.

The runners up is Yemen, where the position holds the title of “Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council.” The position is occupied by seven men, although it seems to be the only country with such an arrangement that doesn’t immediately indicate a hierarchy of who is first among equals.

Peru has two as well, although the positions are currently unoccupied as the country navigates political instability.

Owaahh, 2024,

One story is good,

till Another is told.

https://www.un.org/africarenewal/news/un-chief-welcomes-south-sudan’s-unity-government-lauds-parties-‘significant-achievement’

Last modified: October 8, 2024