The newly appointed governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal state, Maj. Gen. Sherif Daniel Sherif, arrived in the state capital, Wau, on Wednesday to a public reception at the city’s main stadium.
Sherif was appointed earlier this month by President Salva Kiir, replacing Emmanuel Primo. He is a member of the SPLM-IO interim leadership, a faction that split from the main opposition party earlier this year.
The governor was accompanied by a high-level government delegation that included senior officials from the SPLM, SPLM-IO, the National Transitional Legislative Assembly, the Council of States, and other political groups.
Notable figures in the delegation included Bol Makueng Yol, SPLM secretary for political affairs; Agok Makur Kur, interim secretary-general of the SPLM-IO interim leadership; and Lily Kafuki Paul, Central Equatoria state minister of agriculture, also from the SPLM-IO interim leadership. Also present were National Minister of Health Sarah Cleto Rial (SPLM-IO interim leadership), Natalie Uguak Buolla of the Other Political Parties (OPP), and lawmaker Mark Nyipuoch Ubuong.
In his address to the public, Governor Sherif pledged to work with Deputy Governor Zackariah Joseph Garang, a member of the ruling SPLM, to implement the 2018 revitalized peace agreement and promote security, unity, and development in the state.
“Let us open a new page that focuses on promoting unity, development, and prosperity for the people of Western Bahr el Ghazal,” Sherif said. “We will work together with the deputy governor and the security team. Through your cooperation, we will serve the citizens of Western Bahr el Ghazal.”
He also urged civil society organizations and political parties in the state to collaborate in delivering services and implementing the peace deal.
“The president has sent me to Wau to improve the security situation and unite the people,” he said.
Deputy Governor Garang echoed the governor’s remarks, pledging continued cooperation.
“Our hearts are open. We will continue working together to solve the challenges facing the people of this state,” he said.
During the event, SPLM political affairs secretary Bol Makueng Yol urged both leaders to prioritize unity over political affiliation.
“There’s a theme written by the political parties — ‘Together for Peace, Stability and Progress.’ It’s important. When we came here, people asked why we are traveling with an IO governor. The answer is in what we do — not just what we say,” he said.
Yol described Sherif and Garang as “twins” symbolizing political unity.
“Today, we have sons and daughters of South Sudan who do not want the people to suffer again. They want peace — and I see that peace is here to stay in Western Bahr el Ghazal.”
Agok Makur Kur, SPLM-IO interim secretary-general, said the national unity government is committed to peace.
“The unity government in Juba is working to implement the 2018 revitalized peace agreement. It is focused on three key areas: implementing peace, maintaining national security, and fostering peaceful coexistence,” he said.
The SPLM-IO splintered in April following the detention of party leader and First Vice President Riek Machar on March 26 in Juba. Peacebuilding Minister Stephen Par Kuol subsequently formed a breakaway group, naming it the interim leadership of the SPLM-IO.
However, senior SPLM-IO officials loyal to Machar — led by deputy chairman Oyet Nathaniel — rejected the split and affirmed their allegiance to Machar. He remains under suspension and is facing charges in a special court over alleged involvement in violence in Nasir County, Upper Nile state, in March.
Since the split, Par’s interim group has worked closely with the Kiir administration to implement the peace agreement and has replaced several Machar loyalists in both national and state governments. Sherif, the new Western Bahr el Ghazal governor, is among the officials appointed under the SPLM-IO interim leadership.