South Sudan's president appoints new foreign minister

Salva Kiir

JUBA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- President of South Sudan Salva Kiir on Thursday night appointed James Morgan Pitia as the country's new minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation.

In a presidential decree broadcast on the state-owned television, the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation, Kiir appointed Pitia who had previously served as the country's ambassador to Ethiopia and permanent representative to the African Union.

Kiir sacked acting foreign minister Deng Dau Deng who had been in charge of the ministry since March.