S. Sudan's political shakeup: 29 ministers fired

      
South Sudan President Salva Kiir has dismissed his first vice president and 29 government ministers.                   

In a decree read on national television Tuesday evening, Kiir also suspended Pagan Amum, the secretary general of the ruling political party, the SPLM.                

Kiir also reduced the number of ministries in his government from 29 to 18, though it wasn't clear which ministries had been cut. No reasons were given for the shake-up.                    

Reports of a power struggle in the ruling party have persisted, particularly between Kiir and his first vice president, Riek Macher, who has said he is interested in running for president in 2015.                

Amum, South Sudan's chief negotiator in talks with Sudan, criticized Kiir's decision as politically motivated.                     

Last month, Kiir suspended two cabinet members and ordered an investigation into corruption allegations.               


AP