Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The welcoming ceremony for Gola Boyoi Gola, the new Chief Administrator of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), was marked by a heated dispute over leadership roles between community representatives.
The exchange began when Murle community leader Kennedy Gain Ngare urged Gola to address tensions surrounding Pochalla, calling it a “ticking time bomb” fueled by those seeking power.
He suggested the Anyuak community openly voice their claims for the chief administrator position.
Anyuak chairperson Munira Abdellaha, a member of the national parliament’s mining committee, countered with accusations of discrimination.
“Why always deputy of Chief Administrator, is it written in our back! No, it is not written in our back – you Murle people what have you done to Anyuak?” she asked.
She further called on youth to reject violence and work towards peace.
Gen. David Yau Yau, founder of the GPAA and former chief administrator, denied the Murle community orchestrates appointments.
“Do you think that the Murle community first sit down to do an appointment, it is only two, three, or four people who surprise the entire general public,” he argued, suggesting some Murle and Anyuak individuals lobby together to secure the position for an Anyuak leader.
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions within the GPAA. Yau Yau’s Cobra faction peace deal in 2014 led to the area’s semi-autonomous status.
Since then, none of the seven chief administrators have come from the Anuak, Kacipo, or Jie communities, which also inhabit the region.
Recent violence, including the March 2024 ambush that killed 15 people, underscores the volatile situation.
An Anyuak group is allegedly seeking separation from the GPAA to form a Greater Pochalla Administrative Area.
For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan Follow Africa-Press
