South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
The former deputy minister of defense and veterans affairs David Yau Yau, has renounced his membership in the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), a month after ditching the SPLM party led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
“I am writing to formally resign my membership from SPLM-IO with effect from 29 April 2024, I regret to inform you that the reason of my resignation is a call from my community, I have consistently faced resistance after joining the SPLM-IO,” said Yau Yau in a statement issued in Juba on Monday.
“Among the resisting groups are youth, women, chiefs and intellectuals. I firmly believe that the public and Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) community are ready to hear the truth about my resignation, consequently, I met the president and the whole meeting was centered on my return to the mother party SPLM,” he disclosed.
The former Chief Administrator of GPAA in a surprising move announced he was joining the SPLM-IO led by First Vice President Riek Machar on April 1, 2024.
Yau Yau recently heaped praise on Machar for his patience, and for displaying political judgement in handling the affairs of the country since the signing of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.
“After having intently listened to the call from the people of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, following my attempt to persuade them to accept my decision to join the SPLM-IO, all my efforts were thwarted and made untenable to fit in the inter-communal political discourse of GPAA,” he said.
Yau Yau is a former leader the armed Cobra Faction of the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Defense Army, which signed peace deal in January 2014 with the government to end years of rebellion.
