South Sudan president replaces foreign minister

JUBA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has dismissed Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister James Pitia Morgan and replaced him with Ramadan Mohamed Abdallah Goc.

In a presidential decree aired on the state-run broadcaster, the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), on Thursday evening, Kiir appointed Pitia as his envoy to the Great Lakes Region.

The president gave reason for the changes.

Before being appointed the new foreign minister, Abdallah was a deputy foreign minister. He served in several positions in the ruling party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, including as secretary of information after the country's independence in 2011.

The South Sudanese leader also appointed former ambassador to China Monday Semaya Kumba as deputy foreign minister.