August 22, 2014 (JUBA) – The newly appointed head of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) in South Sudan’s Jonglei state, David Yau Yau, on Thursday urged the Jie community to be patient if they wanted a county status.
- Greater Pibor Administrative Area head David Yau Yau (UN photo)
Yau Yau, a former rebel leader, was appointed head of the GPAA last month, in accordance to a May 2014 agreement, which ended four years of rebellion in Pibor.
He had earlier demanded that Pibor be curved out of Jonglei after losing elections in 2010 for a seat in the state legislative assembly.
GPAA is inhabited by the Murle, Jie, Kachipo and Anyuak ethnic communities. The Jie communities, who occupy parts of Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria states, want an independent territory of their own.
“Of course, they [Jie] presented it [proposal for a new county]and it has been debated over, in the presence of the president,” Yau Yau told reporters in the capital, Juba on Friday.
“This is their choice. If they want to join there [GPAA], it is up to them,” he added.
Jie community leaders reportedly fear being assimilated into other societies without a county of their own as most regions in South Sudan now base their existence on cultural identities.
Natabu Abraham, a Jie community leader, argued that bringing the various sections into one administrative area will serve them better.
(ST)
Latest Comments & Analysis
A new approach to peace 2018-04-23 06:16:35 By Miroslav Laják When the United Nations was created, its founders envisioned a different kind of world. A world in which disputes were resolved in meeting rooms and not battlefields. A world (...)
Bring Sudanese troops home now 2018-04-21 15:25:57 By Salah Shuaib The Sudanese troops fighting hard now in Yemen, who were sent there by order of al-Bashir, should return home. The process of implementing this task is much challenging. But, we (...)
Dissolution and formation of the Cabinet - 2013 2018-04-20 08:00:00 Amb Telar Deng The events that led to the 2013 dissolution of cabinet can be traced back to the deep mistrust that fermented back in 1991 when leaders failed to close ranks. After the 1991 (...)
MORE