Dr. John Garang De Mabior Atem was born today in 1945. The political leader was born to Dinka parents in Wangulei village in the upper Nile region of Sudan.
He rose to be an instrumental part of the Second Sudanese War that eventually led to the separation of the once biggest country in Africa. He became the premier of the Government of Southern Sudan and the first vice president of Sudan after signing an agreement with Sudan in 2005.
His death a few weeks after this signing has been met with speculation and sadness, with many people wondering what really happened. Garang was en route from a meeting in Uganda with Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni when the plane he was in crashed.
Garang’s death put the formation of New Sudan and its unity in jeopardy. It also cast a doubt over the peace process for Darfur.
Here are some interesting facts you did not know about the leader of the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army.
