South Sudan: President Salva Kiir Appoints Akuei Bona as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

By Deborah Akur Chol, South Sudan

In a significant move for South Sudan’s diplomatic leadership, President Salva Kiir has appointed Akuei Bona Malwal as the new Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Akuei Bona boasts an extensive diplomatic background, having served as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Sudan to the United Nations from 2016 to 2023. His previous roles include serving as South Sudan’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti since 2014, where he concurrently held positions as the Permanent Representative to the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

From 2012 to 2014, Akuei was the Director General of Protocol within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Juba. Prior to this role, he served as the Ministry’s Director of Protocol from 2011. A seasoned diplomat, he spent part of 2007 to 2011 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as the Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission at the Sudanese Embassy. Earlier in his career, between 2006 and 2007, he was the Ambassador and Deputy Director of the African Affairs Department within the Ministry.

Mr. Akuei holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master of Arts from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, both in the United States. He is also the son of veteran politician Bona Malwal Madut, further solidifying his connection to the country’s political landscape.