David Yau Yau announces defection. (-)

Former Deputy Minister of Defense David Yau Yau announced his resignation from SPLM-IO and rejoined SPLM-IG which he abandoned only four weeks ago.

Yau Yau left the SPLM party under President Kiir, citing a lack of implementation of the May 9 agreement between his Cobra faction and the government.

In a statement, the former rebel leader also said he resigned due to “loss of vision and ideology direction” by the SPLM.

However, after rejoining SPLM on Sunday, Yau Yau told state-owned television SSBC that many issues need to be discussed, without clarification.

Speaking in the Pibor Administrative Area, Yau Yau said he made the U-turn in response to the call from his community.

“It is a home initiative that has engaged my return to the SPLM, the mother party, the ruling party in the country and there are a lot of issues that need to be discussed in different levels,” he said.

“We are here to update our public and all the media houses that on 1^st April, the beginning of this month, I announced my allegiance to IO leadership, and today 29^th of the same month April, I have also announced my resignation from SPLM-IO to SPLM, the mother party.”

SPLM Secretary for Political Affairs and Mobilization, Santo Malek, said the party has welcomed the return of David Yau Yau.

Malek described Yau Yau as a man of peace and said his return to the SPLM as ‘a wise decision’.

“As the political commissar of the ruling party, I’m welcoming him back and congratulating him. He has made a wise decision. Our doors are open for all senior members.”

“Yes he was upset somewhere and then he decided to leave, and then he came back now, there is no problem, he has been away from the mother’s party only four weeks.”

“He is highly welcomed, Yau Yau is a man of peace, he has decided to come back to implement the peace agreement.”

When he joined the SPLM-IO camp, Yau Yau attributed one of the reasons to tribalism and ethnic tendency in the system and widespread corruption with impunity.

He said he decided to join SPLM-IO to implement the 2018 revitalized peace agreement and prepare for a peaceful and democratic transition.

“We have decided to join hands with the compatriots in SPLM-IO to implement R-ARCSS and by throwing our weight to ensure a peaceful and democratic transition to a new political dispensation that shall put an end to the current regressive and repressive system,” Yau Yau stated.

In October 2023, Kiir removed Yau Yau from the SPLM governing body and the parliament.

Yau Yau held various government positions after abandoning the rebellion, including becoming the chief administrator of the Greater Pibor Area and deputy minister of defence.

Political and military defections are strongly discouraged in the 2018 peace agreement that ended the civil war, although there has been a cycle of defections among the peace parties.

A civil society activist reiterated called on South Sudanese politicians to refrain from changing allegiances, saying it undermines trust and confidence-building as the country prepares for general elections.

Edmond Yakani, the Executive Director of CEPO, appealed to politicians to demonstrate “political maturity and discipline” in making decision.

Yakani said the shifting allegiances and defections threaten the implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.