Insurgency and leadership of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area
Map showing insurgencies in northeastern South Sudan from 2010 to 2011. Areas affected by Yau Yau's rebellion in orange.
After his failed bid for the state assembly, Yau Yau accused the SPLM of fraud and voter intimidation. On 20 May 2010 he led an armed group in a clash with the SPLA. One casualty was reported by the SPLA. Yau Yau indicated that he was in contact with George Athor, another failed Jonglei candidate who led the South Sudan Democratic Movement (SSDM) into rebellion for similar reasons.[6]
Yau Yau signed a ceasefire with the GoSS in June 2011, which integrated him and his militia with the SPLA. He had the rank of Brigadier General in the SPLA. In April 2012 he defected again, and lead a Murle-dominated militia in the South Sudan internal conflict for several years.[7]
Yau Yau became the head of the Murle insurrection and the militia that he led became known as the "Cobra Faction" of the SSDM. A March 2014 peace accord with the GoSS appointed Yau Yau as the Chief Administrator of a newly established, semi-autonomous Greater Pibor Administrative Area, with virtually the same authority as South Sudan's state governors.[8]
He gave up the leadership of his Cobra Faction which was dissolved after merger with the SPLM-IO-allied Greater Pibor Forces in January 2016. After leaving the post of leader of Cobra Faction, he joined the SPLM with some of his former accomplices.[1][9][10]
Governor of Boma State and later career
In 2018, he was appointed governor of Boma State.[2] Afterwards, the former troops of his private army were transported from Pibor to Juba to be fully integrated into the SPLA.[11] Yau Yau held his governorship until 2020,[12] when Boma State was dissolved.[13] The Greater Pibor Administrative Area was subsequently restored. Yau Yau continued to serve as a National Legislative Assembly member.[14]
In 2022, Yau Yau visited President Kiir's home state of Warrap with several of the president's aides. This was regarded by the news site African Arguments as possibly signalling that Kiir hoped to enlist Yau Yau's support for the 2023 South Sudanese general election.[15]
On October 30, 2023 President Kiir removed Yau Yau from the SPLM Liberation Council and the Transitional National Legislative Assembly.[16] In his announcement to the nation, President Kiir did not give a reason for the dismissal.[16][17] Yau Yau said that while he had not been consulted on the decision, there was nothing wrong with the decision and that he remained a staunch supporter of the SPLM.[18][19]
Corruption
David Yau Yau is mentioned in the Enough Project's The Sentry, an initiative designed to gather evidence and analyze the financing and operation of African conflicts. He was accused of profiteering in South Sudan's Civil War by forming an oil company with two British citizens during his governorship of Boma State.[20] He denied the accusation.[21]
