FILE PHOTO: Rt. Hon Jacob Dollar, Speaker of the Upper Nile State Legislative Assembly - Courtesy

The Speaker of the Upper Nile State Legislative Assembly has condemned the unlawful removal of Ulang Commissioner Riek Gach Gatluak by local chiefs and the appointment of an SPLM-IO official as his replacement, describing the actions as unconstitutional.

Speaker Jacob Dollar’s statement came after Ulang County chiefs pressured Commissioner Riek Gach Gatluak to step down following his request for the community to contribute 8 million South Sudanese pounds for the welcoming ceremony for the new governor, Lt. Gen. James Koang.

Manpiny Pal, the SPLM-IO-appointed new commissioner, confirmed that all chiefs in Ulang County agreed to remove Riek Gach due to his controversial fundraising request.

“On March 29, 2025, community leaders and chiefs in Ulang County decided to appoint me as the new commissioner and asked the former commissioner to step down,” Pal stated.

“This followed a request from the State Minister of Local Government, asking all payams in Ulang to contribute 1 million South Sudanese pounds each for the reception of the new governor,’ he stated.

“The community, aware of this request and the ongoing conflict, decided to ask Commissioner Riek Gach to step aside due to the fundraising for the reception of the new governor, which the community believed was linked to the conflict in Nasir and Ulang, as well as the bombardment of innocent civilians,” he concluded.

However, Speaker Dollar emphasized in an interview with Eye Radio on April 1 that Commissioner Gatluak remains the legitimate commissioner of Ulang County.

“The commissioner of Ulang is still the commissioner because he was appointed by the President of this Republic, in accordance with the constitution of South Sudan,” Dollar said.

“What has happened in Ulang is unacceptable and unconstitutional. Ulang remains under the Republic of South Sudan, and we are still implementing the peace agreement.”

Dollar urged the chiefs to respect the law, saying, “Ulang is part of one government led by President Salva Kiir. What you have done is completely wrong.”

Gatluak, a member of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), was appointed by President Salva Kiir in 2022 under the 2018 peace agreement, which mandates that appointments of political party members be made by the president based on recommendations from the respective party leaders.