Kiir dismisses Foreign Minister Ramadan Goc
By The City Review
In a presidential decree issued yesterday, President Salva Kiir dismissed Foreign Affairs Minister Ramadan Mohamed Abdalla Goc, nearly a year after his appointment.
However, in a separate presidential decree, Kiir appointed Goc’s Deputy, Amb. Monday Semaya Kumba, as replacement.
Monday had served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation since last April, and previously served as South Sudan’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Malaysia, and Australia.
These changes come at a time when the country is witnessing stabilization in its international relations, particularly in the region.
The government is seeking international support for the elections scheduled for December 2026. The United Nations has expressed its willingness to support the completion of the peace process and the holding of elections in the country, in an effort to ease the political tensions and also end the cycles of transitions.
South Sudanese diplomacy has succeeded in maintaining good relations with the People’s Republic of China, a major economic powerhouse, as one of the largest investors in the country’s oil sector. The government has also succeeded in improving its relations with neighboring countries in East Africa, efforts that led to President Salva Kiir assuming the chairmanship of the East African bloc between 2023-2024.
