President Salva Kiir appoints David Yau Yau to National Liberation Council
President Salva Kiir Mayardit who doubles as the chairman of the Sudan People`s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Party on Wednesday appointed David Yau Yau as a member of the party’s National Liberation Council (NLC).
Yau Yau, a former Deputy Minister of Defense in the Transitional Government of National Unity, was removed from the NLC in October last year by Kiir without any clear reasons.
Later, Yau Yau decided to defect to the opposition Sudan People`s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) but later backpedaled and rejoined the SPLM Party earlier this year.
Yau Yau began his rebellion against Juba in 2010 after failing to win a seat in parliament in the Sudanese general elections. In 2011, he briefly returned to Juba after accepting a presidential amnesty, and was promoted to the rank of General, but resumed rebellion barely a year later. He eventually signed a peace deal with the government in 2014 and joined the ruling SPLM Party in January 2016.
His rebel group, the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army-Cobra faction (SSDM/A-Cobra faction), was integrated into the South Sudan army, following the May 2014 peace agreement. The deal also curved the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) out of Jonglei State and made it a largely autonomous administrative unit.
Yau Yau held various government positions after abandoning the rebellion, including becoming the chief administrator of the GPAA and deputy minister of defense, among others.
