South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit appointed Parliament Speaker James Wani Igga as vice president on Friday.

The South Sudanese president issued a decree, appointing Igga as his vice president to succeed Riek Machar who was relieved from his post last month.

Igga is considered the third man in the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), the ruling party in South Sudan, and member of the historical higher military command of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), the military arm of the SPLM.

Igga graduated from the Faculty of Education in Egypt. He served at the civil aviation before his rebellion during the 1980s. He also served as the SPLM's secretary general during the movement 's general conference in 1994.

He became the first chairman of South Sudan's Legislative Council following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between SPLM and the Government of Sudan in 2005, and continued in his post until the separation of the south from the north in 2011.

He has strong tribal support as he descends from Baria, one of the most important tribes in South Sudan. Igga is also considered close to President Kiir, as he was entrusted with many sensitive issues, such as fighting corruption and institution of the structures of the newly-born South Sudan.