By Bida Elly David
President Salva Kiir has revoked the appointment of Gen. David Yau-Yau as a member of SPLM National Liberation Council (NLC) as well as a member of parliament at the national legislative assembly (R-TNLA).
Yau-Yau’s removal was announced in a spree of presidential decrees read over the state-run SSBC radio and TV on Monday, evening.
There were no reasons stated for the axing of the once-tough Cobra faction forces commander Gen. Yau-Yau from the party.
“I, Salva Kiir Mayardit, the chairperson of the SPLM party, do hereby revoke the appointment of Comrade David Yau-Yau as a member of the National Liberation Council of the SPLM party,” the first decree reads.
President Kiir, in a separate decree, also removed David Yau-Yau and Charles Welo as members of the transitional national legislative assembly representing the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA).
Kiir, in the same decree, also revoked the appointment of Butrus Uchalla to the GPAA legislative council.
Yau Yau was a leader of the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army (SSDM/A), which dissolved him (Yau-Yau) to join the ruling SPLM party in 2016 following a 2014 peace agreement that ended Jonglei sub-regional instability.
Following the 2014 peace agreement, Yau Yau was appointed as the first chief administrator of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) and later elevated to the Ministry of Defense in 2016 by President Kiir.
Thereafter, Yau-Yau gained another trust from Kiir, where he received an additional appointment as a member of parliament at the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), representing GPAA under the SPLM ticket.
The prominent Pibor leader in December 2021 received a membership position in the SPLM Liberation Council during the party-political council meeting.
Despite Yau Yau’s leadership, Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) was still bothered by a number of conflicts where lives were claimed, and many were displaced.
The Greater Pibor Administrative Area government is still battling recurring incidents of cattle raiding and child abduction, especially between Jonglei and GPAA, which has always witnessed counteraccusations on several events.