Biography of Ajang-Marou: Celebrating the Life of Chief Ajang Kuur Yuot of Kongor, Jonglei State

Commemorating the Exemplary Life of Chief Ajang Kuur Yuot (Ajang-Marou) of Kongor community, Twi Dinka, Jonglei State.

Thursday, April 22, 2021 (PW) — On April 24, 2021, (Adelaide) Southern Australia, South Sudanese communities will converge in Adelaide city to commemorate and celebrate the life of one of the longest serving Chiefs of Kongor community, Ajang Kur Yuot. This commemoration marked one-year anniversary after his death in Kenya a year ago. While it isn’t known what killed him, members of his family believed to have died from heart attack and lung complication diseases. Few hours prior to his death, Ajang had difficulty in breathing, experienced cardiac arrest and lung failure.

Chief Ajang had lived a wealthy and glorious and memorable life. He was born in 1925 in Kongor, South Sudan and died in 2020 at Kakuma in Kenya. Ajang was elected at his prime age and served as a Chief of Kongor Community from 1965 to 1986. He presided as a judge during wars and peace periods. He was a great investigative chief, true ideals of court, great in discerning and dissecting issues that come to the court and him. Chief Ajang was articulate singer, who composed songs of national standards, and predicted so precisely that the Sudan will be divided in his song of 1960s, and in 2011 South Sudan seceded from Khartoum. An unbelievable wisdom was bestowed upon him.

Ajang was one of the senior judges and one of senior chiefs in Pawel. Ajang served with Paramount Chief, Ajang Duot Bior. It was known then, and it is clear non that paramount Chief Ajang Duot did not hide his support. He personally lobbied members of Pan-Aleek to elect Ajang Kur Yuot. Ajang Duot said that “elect man with moral values and integrity, someone who is great at both communication and judgement and that person would be Ajang Kur”.  Ajang had shown an ability to resolve minor disputes and famous cases.

As a judge, Ajang rendered fair and just decisions over the most complicated issues of his times. Ajang was relieved from the Court as a Chief by CDR Arok thon Arok in 1986 over disputed areas of Malei and Pakeny between Adhiok and Kongor communities. He was relieved along with all the three top chiefs from both Kongor (including Chief Duot Bior-Jongheer) and Adhiok communities.

Just like any new elected leader, Chief Ajang was faced with the most pressing issues of 1960s and 1970s, these include, frequentattacks and cattle rustling by the Murle community. In 1970, Murle organized a formidable force armed with superior weapons they obtained from Khartoum and they attacked Kongor in 1970, and this conflict killed the following people:

1)    Tor kuir Pageer (Kuir-atong)

2)    Kuol Bul Agoth (Bul-ahoijok)

3)    Alaak Aguer Pageer (Aguer-deu-ngaar)

4)    Alaak Pageer Aluel (Alaak-magaar)

5)    Alaak Pageer Alaak (Pageer-maguar)

The conflict killed the youngest and bravest men from Pan-Alek. 1970 went down as a dark day and went down as a year of infamy. Kongor community and Pan-Alek hit its lowest point. It was a tragedy that engulfed the whole community. It was the saddest year and an episode that killed five prominent members of Kongor would be known as “Beer wet Alaak.” And this episode too would forever change the life of Ajang Kur as a Chief. Because Ajang was a closest friend to Tor Kuir Pageer, who was killed in this incident. Ajang and Tor paired as young men at home and in the cattle camps to sing their songs. They were well known. Ajang frequent said, “me and Chan Awuol were best singers and composers in Kongor.

However, in pursuant of Wet Alaak case—who were massacred by Murle, Chief Ajang went to Khartoum in 1970 and made thecompelling argument that Murle criminals who had come to Kongor and killed his people and took cows must be prosecuted.Ajang decided that the families of these victims must be compensated. He launched an accountability and justice inquiry and pursued Beer e Wet Alaak case through the Khartoum government. Ajang was granted green light by the Khartoum government. Ajah Korot, a chief of Murle was ordered by Sudanese government to come to Khartoum.

This case became Ajang of Kongor vs Korot of Murle. Murle Chief, Ajah Korot and Khartoum government settled this case and agreed that the families of each victim would be awarded 30 cows as a reparation for victim. Ajang came back from Khartoum and proceeded to Murle land in an attempt to recover cows or resources to compensate families of victims. He spent one month in Pibor. Both Murle Chief and Khartoum failed to honor the verdict of the court. Chief Ajah Korot went back home to Murle and changed his mind and was in defiance to the settlement. So, after recovery of cows from Murle failed, the Khartoum government decided to compensate families of victims with sacks of Sorghums.

And even in the light of compensation with grains that were received by the families through government of Khartoum, Ajang wasn’t satisfied with the treatment of South Sudanese people. Ajang was unhappy with ruling and outcomes of the case, unhappy with Murle Chief and was unhappy with how Khartoum government enforced the ruling into this case. He revealed his unhappiness in form of the song which suggested that Sudan must be divided “piny abe tem kou, nong panduon eyic nong thou.” This song illustrated a vivid dissatisfaction with how Khartoum government had settled the case and failed to enforce the ruling.

It is important to point out that Chief Ajang was born to a daughter of the former Paramount Chief of Duk-Bor District, Deng Malual Aleer, from Nyarweng, Palual. He was the first born. His father, Kur Yuot died when he was about 3 years old, and Kur Yuot’s death was believed to have been a homicide. Ajang missed the child’s physiological and psychosocial support of a father. He went through critical phases of childhood without a father. He endured all odds as a child and persisted and became an impeccable man of unmatched qualities. Ajang was elected and served as one of the top prominent chiefs of Kongor community in the county.

Concomitantly, SPLA split in 1991 and Kongor areas became a “triangle of death” simply because most of 1991 wars were fought in Payoom, Panyagoor, Wangulei, Wernyol, Paliau, Mar, and Pawel as well as Duk Padiet and Duk Payuel. Chief Ajang was displaced and he found a hospitable home in Lake State, Yirol, along with hundreds of displaced persons from Jonglei State. He was elected as their chief in Yirol and by the displaced persons and served from 1997 to 2002.

After implementation of key protocols of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Ajang returned to Kongor in 2005 and became an administrative judge of Pawel Court in the local government from 2006 to 2011.  

The chief Ajang kur Yuot was married to multiples wives and the list is below:

1.    Kuei Aluong Bul from Wut Khor Nyin, Kongor county. Kuei had the following children:

1)    Akuol is married to Deng Giet from Padool, Kongor county and she resides in Kenya. 

2)    Yuot died at his adolescent age.

3)    Apajok is married to Machar Akech from Ayoliel, Ajuong county and she died in Kapoeta, South Sudan.

4)    Pageer is married to Amam Bol Awan from Adhiok, Lith county. He died in Chuckudum from Liver disease. 

5)    Deng died as a little boy.

6)    Athok is married to Majak Awan, Nyarwengcommunity, Duk county and she resides in Kenya.

2.    Achol Ajak Dut, from Kuac, Ajuong County. Achol had the following children:

1)    Akuol is married to Dut William Garang Pakeercommunity and County and she currently resides in Uganda.

2)    Ayen is married to Yak Daau, Kebaar, Kongor Community and county and she resides in Kenya.

3)    Kur is deceased at a younger age.

4)    Pageer is married to Abuk Ajith from Kuac, Ajuong county. He resides in the United States.

5)    Ajong is married to Agok Garang from Nyoping, Ajuong county. She resides in Bortown.

6)    Apajook is married to Lual Manyang, Koch, Kolnyang county. She resides in Kenya

7)    Yuot is Married to Adhieu Duot Yong from Anyang, Kongor county. He resides in Kenya.

3.    Achol Riak Arok passed way at Nairobi hospital, Kenya. She is from the Pagweng section of Abek, Lith county. She had the following Children:

1)    Mach died during the war of liberation, and he was unmarried.

2)    Mawut died during the war of liberation and he was unmarried.

3)     Wal died during the war of liberation and he was unmarried.

4)     Kon is deceased and he was unmarried.

5)    Emanuel deceased unmarried. 

6)    Akuol is married to Kuol Dhieu Ajang from Kuac, Ajuong county. She resides in Australia,

7)     Apajok is married to Yai Mayen de Dut, from the Pakeer community and county. She resides in Australia.

8)    Pageer is married to Akur Dau, from Nyarweng, Duk County. He resides in Australia.

4.    Achol Panyang Jot had the following children:

1)    Ayen is married to Madul Kuch from Ciec, Lake State.

2)    Pageer is married to Nyandier Mach Deng from Paleeh, Anyidi county. He resides in Australia.

3)    Akuol is married to Chol Alang Maguet from Koch, Kolnyang county, and she resides in Kenya.

4)    Aguer is married to Amam Ngor Dau from Abek, Lith County. He resides in Juba, South Sudan.

5.    Ajah Lem Awan is from Nyarweng Duk County. Ajah did not have children with Ajang Kur Yuot. 

To conclude, Ajang was sapient and sagacious in terms of his ability to think and composition of songs. He more often acted using better knowledge, experience, great understanding, common sense and insight. As a chief of Pan-Aleek and as well as Kongor, Ajang has always held independence and unbiased judgment. He is compassionate and had experiential self-knowledge which transcended ideals of court. Ajang was virtuous, held norms and values and benevolence that he derived from both Pan-Yuot Alaak of Kongor and PaLual Nyarweng. 

He enunciated the roots of his values and dignity in his song that goes like this “Dhueng e Koc e Yuot ku PaLual” in which he attributed his wisdom to Wut PaLual and Pan e Yuot alaak. It is in this experiential knowledge that enabled him to make ethically sound judgments at the court and in the public spheres. He possessed values and more importantly virtues that hebelieved to have obtained from his paternity and maternity sides of families. The values which guided him and allowed him to pursue the common goods and moral excellence.

It is certainly true that due to the war of liberation in the former Sudan, his children have not had a chance to live with him. But based on his occasional meetings with few of them, Ajang is admired by his children, they remembered him as a great thinker, wise, dignified who always does what is appropriate. Chief Ajang develop a concept of doing what is appropriate from serving people. He believed that doing what is good enhancedand alleviated life of people for the purpose of societal wellbeing. 

Ajang usually said it isn’t easy to lead with practical wisdom. Ajang often advised that a leader must make judgments and take actions amid constant flux of problems. In numerous conversations he had with his children, he always suggests that a leader must take a higher point of view for the good of the society—even though that view stems from individual opinions or principles. A leader with unique qualities of leadership must have practice moral discernment about what’s good and act on it in every situation, and throughout his years from the court in Pawel and to Kenya, Ajang had always taken case by case with an impartial point of view. He believed that his actions have a moral purpose akin to what God had planned.

The chief, Ajang exercised his judgment by understanding the grim reality of a case.  He carefully considered timing—when to make a move or to discuss issues. Ajang strongly believed that people are by nature both logical and emotional, so he stressed the importance of empathizing with others to develop genuine dialogues. It isn’t unusual for him to engage in discussions with his colleagues that run twice the allotted time.

Prepared by Ajang’s sons:

1. Pageer Ajang Kur (Malith) Australia

2. Pageer Ajang Kur (Manyok) Australia

3. Gabrial Pager Ajang (USA)

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