John Garang

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John Garang

John Garang de Mabior (born June 23, 1945 in Wagkulei near Bor ; † July 30, 2005 in South Sudan ; Arabic جون قرنق دي مبيور) was a South Sudanese rebel leader and politician.

biography

The Dinka Garang was born to a poor Anglican family. After the early death of his parents, he went to Tanzania for secondary education . He graduated from Grinell College in Iowa , USA , with a Bachelor of Science . After his return to Tanzania in 1967 he got a position at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. He joined the University Students African Revolutionary Front , an association of left-wing intellectuals. Uganda's current President Yoweri Museveni , with whom Garang was close friends since his student days, the historian Walter Rodney and the later Mozambican President Joaquím Alberto Chissano were also among them.

In 1970 Garang returned to Sudan and joined the Anya Nya movement. After the end of the rebellion in 1972, Garang, like most other rebels, received a position in the Sudanese army . His military training continued in 1974 at Fort Benning in Georgia , USA. From 1977 to 1981, he graduated from Iowa State University with a doctorate in economics (majoring in agricultural economics). In 1982 he taught as a colonel in active service at the University of Khartoum and at various military schools.

In 1983 Garang switched fronts. President Jafar Muhammad an-Numeiri appointed him to put down a mutiny of 500 soldiers in Bor . Garang founded the Sudanese People's Liberation Army ( SPLA ) together with Kerubino Bol . A twenty-year struggle for independence from Khartoum followed. Garang led the SPLA dictatorially and did not tolerate dissenting.

In 2002 negotiations started again, which from 2004 onwards led to various contracts that were formally put into effect on January 9, 2005 in the Naivasha Agreement . The contracts stipulated that both sides should strive for unity for six years. A referendum was set for 2011, after which the foundations of a unified Sudan or the secession of the south should be decided within six months. Garang strove for a reformed state as a whole: He now also gained supporters in the north. He had a good chance of winning the elections planned for 2010 in Sudan. The majority in the SPLA, on the other hand, wanted an independent South.

At the end of 2004 Garang had to fend off an internal SPLA coup attempt by officers. They wanted independence for the south rather than the peace treaty they had achieved. They were led by the number two of the organization, Salva Kiir Mayardit. After a peace agreement on July 9, 2005, Garang was introduced as Sudan's first vice president. The south of the country was also given the prospect of independence in the medium term.

On August 1, 2005, the government announced Garang's death. On the return flight from a meeting with Yoweri Museveni and representatives of the USA and the EU in Uganda , he and 13 other inmates were killed in the helicopter crash in the Imantong Mountains on July 31. Bad weather conditions were given as the cause of the crash. After his death, riots broke out in the capital, Khartoum. In this situation, the SPLA appointed his previous deputy Salva Kiir Mayardit as the new leader, who was also nominated as Vice President of Sudan.

Tomb of John Garang in Juba

Two days before his death, Garang spoke in an interview with representatives of the International Catholic Missions Association missio at his New Site headquarters in South Sudan near the Kenyan border. He explained his plans for the new peace in South Sudan and named the church a partner for the future social and economic development of the country.

John Garang was buried on August 6, 2005 in a mausoleum near All Saints Cathedral in Juba . Among the mourners were the South African President Thabo Mbeki , the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and the new leader of the SPLA Salva Kiir . The latter again emphasized that they wanted to stick to the peace plan of January 2005 without compromises, which ended the 21-year war of civil war in South Sudan .

After his death, the SPLA went for independence - the possibility of a reformed all of Sudan was over.

literature

  • John Garang: John Garang speaks. Edited and introduction by Mansour Khalid. KPI, London et al. 1987, ISBN 0-7103-0268-1 .
  • John Garang: The Call for Democracy in Sudan. Kegan Paul International, London et al. 1992, ISBN 0-7103-0401-3 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gerard Prunier: A Little History of South Sudan. In: Le Monde diplomatique , February 2011, p. 10.
  2. ↑ Gerard Prunier: A Little History of South Sudan . In: Le Monde diplomatique, February 2011, p. 10.
  3. ↑ Interview (2005) with the Sudanese Vice President John Garang: “We thank God that we have achieved a fair and just peace.” In: medium.com. missio Aachen, April 19, 2018, accessed on April 21, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Gerard Prunier: A Little History of South Sudan . In: Le Monde diplomatique, February 2011, p. 10.
personal data
SURNAME Garang, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Garang de Mabior, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South Sudanese rebel leader and politician
DATE OF BIRTH June 23, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH Wagkulei at Bor
DATE OF DEATH July 30, 2005
Place of death South Sudan