The newly appointed Governor of Western Equatoria State, James Al-Taib Jaz Berapai - courtesy photo

President Salva Kiir has appointed James Al-Taib Jaz Berapai, a former lawyer, as the new governor of Western Equatoria State.

The appointment was announced in a presidential decree read on state-run SSBC TV on Wednesday evening.

Berapai previously served as the president of the South Sudan Bar Association.

He replaces Alfred Futuyo Karaba, a member of the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), who was removed nearly six months ago through a similar presidential decree in February.

According to media reports, the new governor is a member of the Kiir-led Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

It is unclear why President Kiir decided to take over the governorship, which was previously allocated to the SPLM-IO under a power-sharing agreement signed in 2018.

The deal which was signed before the formation of the current Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) at the states’ level, had given the SPLM-IO the position of governor for Western Equatoria State.

The SPLM-IO is yet to comment on the recent changes.

The appointment comes at a time when Western Equatoria State is facing a wave of insecurity.

Last week, a senior education official was shot dead in Yambio town, the state capital, in what was widely believed was as a targeted killing.

In recent months, there have also been reports of clashes between government and opposition forces, road ambushes, and abductions in Yambio, Ibba, Maridid among other counties.