Sudan’s People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) has appointed Hon. Kiir Tai Riek as the new Commissioner for Fangak County, replacing former commissioner Hon. Biel.
The appointment was formally communicated through an official letter issued by the SPLA-IO Acting Chairman, Oyet Nathaniel, and has been swiftly welcomed across Fangak communities.
Residents have expressed strong support for the leadership change, describing it as timely and unifying despite the ongoing threat of seasonal flooding. Community members say the appointment has lifted morale, with celebrations taking place alongside renewed calls for unity and cooperation across Fangak and neighbouring counties.
Speaking to this newspaper by phone, Gatkuoth Kueth, Chairperson of the Fangak Youth, said the community is “overwhelmingly excited” by the appointment. He noted that Hon. Kiir Tai Riek is a long-standing figure within the SPLA-IO who has made significant contributions to the movement over many years.
“Kiir is not new to the struggle,” Gatkuoth said. “His leadership is expected to address key challenges facing Fangak County, particularly security concerns, food insecurity, and internal disputes, while also strengthening relations with neighbouring counties.”
Gatkuoth added that Hon. Kiir’s military background is especially relevant given the current security situation, arguing that the county requires a leader with both strategic and operational experience. He also highlighted Kiir’s previous work with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), noting that this experience gives him strong insight into humanitarian coordination and aid delivery—an important asset for a flood-prone and conflict-affected area like Fangak.
The appointment follows a period of controversy last year, when President Salva Kiir removed Hon. Biel and installed Johnson Kuol Gai as commissioner—a move that drew criticism from the international community and concern from peace partners. Fangak County had been allocated to the SPLA-IO under the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), signed in 2018. Hon. Biel had originally been appointed in 2020 in line with that agreement.
The R-ARCSS, signed by President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar, aimed to end the civil war in the world’s youngest nation through power-sharing arrangements, the unification of armed forces, and the conduct of national elections at the end of the transitional period. However, implementation has faced repeated delays despite sustained international pressure.
United Nations bodies have repeatedly warned that continued delays risk undermining the peace process altogether, cautioning that South Sudan’s fragile peace remains at risk of collapse without tangible progress on the agreement’s key provisions.
