Tribute to Gen. Bior-Aswad Ajang Duot: The Scion of the Liberation Struggle in South Sudan (PART 2)
Part One: The Passing of Gen. Bior-Aswad Ajang Duot Bior-Kweigak (Part 2/3)
By PaanLuel Wël, Brisbane, Australia
- The First Day of National Mourning: Public Reactions and Condolences – 14 August 2024
Friday, 14 august 2026 (PW) — That evening, at around 11pm, after Gen. Bior-Aswad’s body had been taken to the mortuary and the family had returned to his residence in Hai-Amarat, attention shifted immediately to the urgent task of informing relatives of his passing and attending to the growing influx of mourners arriving at the compound. With the support of Duot-MonyBor, who displayed remarkable courage in the face of overwhelming grief, family members convened an emergency meeting and established an Information Outreach Committee comprising Gen. Bior-Matoto, Moulana Ghak-Mator, Bior-Grenade, Deng Duot-Thith, Bul-Makungu, Duot-MonyBor and others, with responsibility for urgently notifying Gen. Bior-Aswad’s wife and children in Eldoret, Kenya, as well as relatives in Juba, Bor, Kongor, Nimule, Kakuma, Uganda, Australia, Canada, the United States and elsewhere, knowing that social media would not wait for the family to complete the solemn task of informing their own.
Gen. Bior-Aswad’s wife, Ayen Kon Deng Malwal, and their children in Eldoret were informed that night at around 11pm. Those entrusted with informing Gen. Bior-Aswad’s immediate family were Gen. Bior-Matoto and Moulana Ghak-Mator, who immediately reached out to Reech-Akwende Jurkuch and Deng-Makiech, husband of Awaak Bior-Madhang, both of whom were then in Eldoret visiting their families. Together with Mama Deborah Yar Chuol, Mama Sarah Anoon Nuer and Episcopal church leaders, Reech Jurkuch and Deng-Makiech went to Gen. Bior-Aswad’s residence in Eldoret and broke the devastating news to his wife and children.
Meanwhile, Deng Duot-Thith called Deng Duot Deng Jok in Australia, who, together with Ustaz Agwer Bior-Mang’arthith Bul and Diktoor Kwir Garang-Thii Bul, began reaching out to relatives across Australia, including this author, to inform them of Gen. Bior-Aswad’s passing. Around the same time, Gen. Deng-Marong, who had earlier received the news from Bior-Grenade, undertook the equally painful task of informing relatives in Bor, Kongor and Minkaman, while other members of the committee contacted family members and relatives in Nimule, Kenya, Uganda, the United States, Canada and Europe, as the news of Gen. Bior-Aswad’s death travelled through the vast and scattered branches of the family before dawn.
Moreover, that night, it was Gen. Gier Chuang Aluong and Dr Majak Agoot Atem who informed Vice President Mama Rebecca Nyandeng of the demise of Gen. Bior-Aswad, while Gen. Kuol Atem Apai, Deputy Commander of the Tiger Division, conveyed the news to President Kiir that Gen. Bior-Aswad, who had succeeded CDR Salva Kiir as the second head of the SPLM/SPLA Military Intelligence and Security Services, had died. As the night progressed, it was not long before social media became ablaze with breaking reports that a senior military officer, veteran of the liberation struggle and former senior government official had suffered a heart attack and been rushed to hospital in critical condition.
Soon afterwards, social media declared Gen. Bior-Aswad dead, long before all members of his family within and outside South Sudan, could be reached and formally informed of his passing that night. As a result, some of the family members learned the shocking news directly from social media or from heartbroken friends and relatives who raced against the rapidly spreading reports to inform them personally; it was an arduous task given the sheer size and global spread of the family of Paramount Chief Ajang Duot, Pande Bior and Wut Kongor, Twic Dinka community, family friends and in-laws, his colleagues and comrades from the security establishment and the SPLM/SPLA liberation struggle.
Secondly, on the night of 13 August 2024, as mourners descended upon Gen. Bior-Aswad’s residence in Hai-Amarat, it became immediately apparent that the compound would face an acute shortage of chairs, tables and tents as the numbers continued to swell. Mourners were arriving from across Juba, while relatives, friends, colleagues and comrades outside the capital and beyond South Sudan were already making preparations to travel to Juba. The family meeting therefore also deliberated on how to manage the rapidly growing number of mourners, which was expected to increase considerably the following morning as more people received the shocking news of Gen. Bior-Aswad’s death and made their way to his residence to offer condolences and mourn with the family.
The challenge, however, was not merely logistical, for Gen. Bior-Aswad had died as a man who belonged to several worlds at once. He was a father and son within the family of Duot Bior-Kweigak, chairperson of the Twic East Community Association (TECA), a senior official of Emmanuel Jieng Parish of the Episcopal Church, a former senior government official and military commander, and, above all, a dear colleague and comrade to the generation with whom he had fought in the SPLM/SPLA liberation struggle. From the reactions that followed almost immediately after his passing, it became abundantly clear to the family that each of these constituencies possessed a legitimate claim to participate in organising his burial and funeral rites. The family therefore resolved that night to take a deliberate step back and await the positions of President Kiir and the government, Twic East community, the Episcopal Church and Gen. Bior-Aswad’s SPLM/SPLA comrades before finalising the arrangements for his last journey.
Thirdly, the question of resource mobilisation also featured in the family meeting that night, for it was already clear that the growing number of mourners would require immediate arrangements for shelter, seating, food and other necessities. The first person to offer assistance was Deng Atem Awuol, who had been close to Gen. Bior-Aswad during his years at Bilpam, who offered to facilitate the procurement of chairs and tents for the following day, 14 August 2024. At the same meeting, Adut-Meei Arok Thon Arok contributed more than US$2,000 towards the purchase of food and refreshments for the mourners expected the following morning, while Moulana Ajang-Thii Duot-Dit Bior-Jhogheer, whose father had succeeded Paramount Chief Ajang Duot, offered money for the purchase of a bull to be slaughtered the following morning to feed the mourners. All these arrangements were being made on the night of 13 August 2024, only a few hours after the doctors had pronounced Gen. Bior-Aswad deceased, as grief gave way, almost immediately, to the solemn practical obligations of preparing to receive the multitude who would soon come to mourn him.
By the following morning, Wednesday, 14 August 2024, it had become abundantly clear that senior government officials, including President Salva Kiir and his five vice presidents, were likely to visit Gen. Bior-Aswad’s residence to offer their condolences and join the family in mourning. As preparations intensified to receive the President, the family, working together with Gen. Bior-Aswad’s SPLM/SPLA comrades and the TECA leadership, established a High-Level Committee to coordinate protocol, receive dignitaries and mourners, and organise the burial and funeral rites.
The High-Level Committee was chaired by Gen. Gier Chuang Aluong and deputised by Dr Majak Agoot Atem, while Gen. Philip Agwer Panyang, Gen. Alaak Garang and Gen. Atem Garang Deng Dekwek were assigned responsibility for the Secretariat, Protocol and Information desk; Gen. Ajak Deng Reng and Madam Adau-Mathiangdit Diing Duot were assigned Logistics and Catering; Gen. Marial Chanuong Yol, who had deputised CDR Bior-Aswad during the 1992 SPLM/SPLA twin assaults on Juba, was assigned Transport and coordination with the government; Gen. Bior-Matoto Kwir Deng and Deng Duot-Thith were assigned Finance and Record Keeping; and Maj. Garang Mach Nyinkuany, together with Gen. Bior-Aswad’s bodyguards, was tasked with security. On behalf of the family, Dut Agwet-Adhueng Ajang Duot, Moulana Ajang-Thii Duot-Dit, Moulana Diing Bul Atem, Moulana Ghak-Mator Jurkuch Ghak, Moulana Thon Agwer-Ayupyaar Bior and Agwer-Bil Bol Kwir-Guuk assisted the Secretariat with information and protocol matters.
With these arrangements in place, the family of Paramount Chief Ajang Duot deliberately took a back seat, entrusting the wider organisation of the burial and funeral rites to the government, Gen. Bior-Aswad’s SPLM/SPLA comrades, the Twic East community leadership and the Episcopal Church, each of which had a legitimate claim to honour a man who had belonged, in different ways, to all of them.
Apart from the High-Level Committee headed by Gen. Gier Chuang and Dr Majak Agoot, a separate Catering Services Committee was established under the supervision of Adau-Mathiangdit, with responsibility for planning, organising and managing food and beverage services throughout the mourning period, from 14 August 2024 until the final funeral rites at Medan Simba on 24 August 2024. Later, after President Kiir approved US$150,000 to cover the expenses of the burial and funeral services – of which US$63,000 was never received – the Catering Services Committee was reorganised into three service desks: the first, headed by Adut-Meei Arok Thon and Akech Khot, catered for government officials and senior military officers; the second, under Nyïïrke Twic, catered for community and youth leaders; and the third, under Diärke Kongor, catered for family members and relatives. Throughout the mourning period, between three and four cattle were slaughtered each day to feed the mourners, while spiritual nourishment and emotional support were provided by the Episcopal Church, with prayers offered three times daily: in the morning before breakfast, in the afternoon before lunch, and in the evening before supper.
On the morning of Wednesday, 14 August 2024, at around 6a.m, the first senior government officials to arrive at Gen. Bior-Aswad’s residence were Hon. Kuol Manyang Juuk and Hon. Nhial Deng Nhial. At about 7am, Vice President Mama Rebecca Nyandeng, widow of the founding father Dr John Garang de Mabior, arrived at the compound, having been briefed by phone the previous night by Gen. Gier Chuang, Dr Majak Agoot and Gen. Pieng Deng-Majok. According to family members, Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng arrived crying uncontrollably and, overcome by grief. “Comrade Bior-Aswad was my brother-in-law, and I have known him since the time I was married. During the war of liberation, Dr John Garang was always depressed and rarely laughed; but if you hear Dr John giggling like a child, then you know that it was Comrade Bior-Aswad inside with him,” Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng told the mourners in tribute to Gen. Bior-Aswad.
The following day, 15 August 2024, First Vice President Dr Riek Machar arrived around 5pm and offered his condolences to the family, recounting how he had first come to know of Gen. Bior-Aswad, long before the two men met in the SPLM/SPLA, through Gen. Bior-Aswad’s elder brother, the late Engineer Bior-Maroor Ajang Duot, who had been Dr Riek Machar’s high-school classmate and later his colleague in London, United Kingdom. Their association in London extended into political activism, including the co-founding of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) with Hon. Benjamin Bol Akook, Hon. John Luk Jok, Eng. Bior-Maroor Ajang Duot and Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin, before Dr Riek Machar eventually travelled to Ethiopia to join the SPLM/SPLA.
President Kiir arrived at about 12pm and was ushered into the compound by Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng and Hon. Alaak Garang, in the presence of Hon. Kuol Manyang Juuk. This was only the second time President Kiir had set foot at Gen. Bior-Aswad’s residence, the first having been in December 2007, when he came to attend the funeral of Hon. Bul Deng-Achuek Bul, then Government Chief Whip in the National Assembly. That the President was on his way had already become apparent to mourners arriving at the residence, as the entire compound and surrounding neighbourhood had been cordoned off and secured by soldiers of the Tiger Division. Upon arrival, President Kiir personally greeted members of the immediate family, shaking hands with Gen. Bior-Aswad’s sons, brothers and other close relatives. After greeting and conferring briefly with family members, a prepared statement was read on his behalf by Hon. Alaak Garang, after which Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng invited the President to address the mourners. Taking the microphone, President Kiir told those gathered: “You the family of Paramount Chief Ajang Duot, Pan-Bior, Kongor and Twic East community, the giant tree has fallen and there is no longer anyone behind me.” He then broke down in tears, visibly shaking, and had to be assisted back to his seat, unable to continue speaking as grief overtook him.
At the inception of the SPLM/SPLA, each of the three men was entrusted with a simple but fundamental responsibility whose successful execution was essential to the survival and ultimate success of the liberation struggle: CDR Salva Kiir was tasked with military intelligence and security, charged with protecting the Movement from enemies both within and without; CDR Bior-Aswad was entrusted with the personal security and protection of the SPLM/SPLA Commander-in-Chief, ensuring the safety and survival of Chairman; while Dr John Garang himself bore the larger responsibility of providing the political and military leadership of the liberation struggle. By 1998, when CDR Bior-Aswad succeeded CDR Salva Kiir as the second head of the SPLM/SPLA Military Intelligence and Security Services, each had fulfilled his core responsibility to the Movement. The SPLM/SPLA had survived the turbulence, internal divisions and military reversals of the 1990s and was once again on the resurgence, thanks in no small measure to the security architecture overseen by CDR Salva Kiir; the Commander-in-Chief, Dr John Garang, had survived the dangers of war and rebellion under the vigilant protection of CDR Bior-Aswad; and the liberation struggle itself was moving steadily toward its logical conclusion under Dr John Garang’s leadership, culminating in the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 and, six years later, the independence of South Sudan in July 2011 under President Kiir.
Thus, when President Kiir declared before the mourners that “the giant tree has fallen” and that there was no longer anyone behind him, the words summoned the bittersweet memories of the long and difficult road of the liberation struggle, of comrades who had survived war, rebellion, political rupture and the uncertain transition to peace, only to watch one another depart in the years after independence. In that brief and emotional tribute, President Kiir was mourning not only Gen. Bior-Aswad, his comrade and successor at the helm of the SPLM/SPLA Military Intelligence and Security Services, but also a diminishing generation of men whose lives had been bound together by the struggle that gave birth to South Sudan.
Throughout 14 August 2024, from the early morning until the late evening, senior government officials, military officers, cabinet ministers, state governors, community leaders and other dignitaries continued arriving at Gen. Bior-Aswad’s residence to offer their condolences and address the gathered mourners. Among those who came and spoke were Vice President Dr James Wani Igga, Vice President Taban Deng Gai, Senior Presidential Advisor Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk, Senior Presidential Advisor Daniel Awet Akot, Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba, Director of Internal Security Gen. Akol Khoor Kuch, Defence Minister Chol Thon Balok, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Gen. Atem Deng-Marol Biar, Chief Justice Hon. Madol Arol Kachol, Gen. Pieng Deng-Majok Kuol, Gen. James Hoth Mai, Hon. Deng Alor Kuol, Hon. MP Dengtiel Ayuen Kuur and Western Bahr el Ghazal State Governor Rizik Zachariah Hassan, among others.
5. Selected Tributes During the Period of National Mourning
From 14 August 2024 and throughout the mourning period, which culminated in the final funeral rites at Medan Simba on 24 August 2024, individuals, organisations, institutions, community leaders and eminent personalities whose lives had been touched by Gen. Bior-Aswad offered written and oral tributes in his memory. In those difficult days, every story remembered and every grief shared helped, however slightly, to carry the enormous weight of sorrow that had suddenly descended upon the family and all those who had known and loved Gen Bior-Aswad for his selfless leadership and immense contribution to the liberation struggle and the independence of South Sudan.
In his written condolence message issued on the evening of Gen. Bior-Aswad’s passing, President Kiir remembered his longtime SPLM/SPLA comrade as a veteran of the liberation struggle whose contribution belonged to the historical memory of South Sudan: “General Bior Ajang was a battle-hardened war hero who participated in numerous battles during the liberation struggle. We have lost a freedom fighter, a leader and a strategic thinker whose historic contributions will be remembered by generations. Let us all pray that God, in His infinite power, gives his family the strength they need to cope with this loss. My deepest sympathies to Gen. Bior’s family, relatives, the Twic East Community and all South Sudanese whom he served with utmost dedication. May God rest his soul in eternal peace.”
Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior: “We don’t mourn a person with a history pitifully. Bior Ajang is someone who has a history. Someone like that should be mourned with pride. I didn’t sleep last night, and when I came out and looked around, I could not see him; he was not there, he was gone. But what was there? It is the work he has done. I knew Bior for fifty-something years, through the liberation time until his death. […] We cannot mourn him pitifully; we should mourn him in a dignified way. I see you South Sudanese, if there is a death, you get united. After we have finished with this funeral, this journey that Bior Ajang has brought us together on should continue, the way you have come now. We should not allow everybody to divide us.”
Senior Presidential Advisor Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk: “I extend my condolences and urge you to fill the void left by General Bior. Let us honour his legacy by continuing the work he was passionate about. We will inform you of the burial arrangements in due course.”
Gen. Chol Thon Balok, Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs: “In the spirit of solace, I would like to send our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the bereaved family for the loss of their son, the liberator and our own comrade, whose memories of commitment to liberation will remain unforgettable among his colleagues.”
Gen. James Hoth Mai, former Chief of General Staff and Minister of Labour: “I came to know Bior in 1984 when both of us were deployed in the headquarters of Dr John Garang. More than a decade later, we were among the first commanders commissioned to Major Generals and appointed deputies to the Chief of General Staff in 2005. Bior and I, throughout the long struggle, shared many successes and setbacks. Gen. Bior was a liberator, a hero, a comrade-in-arms, a true embodiment of strength, courage and resilience. He was an inspiration to his soldiers throughout our struggle. He was our rock, our guiding light and hope in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army during turbulent times in the Movement. He was among the commanders who kept the SPLM/SPLA alive when the Movement split in 1991. Gen. Bior left to us a message of unity, reconciliation, comradeship, forgiveness and, above all, tenacity not to give up the mission and objectives of the SPLM.”
Gen. Pieng Deng Kuol, former Inspector General of Police: “Rest in peace, my good and real friend. Hadn’t it been you, the Security Protocol wouldn’t have been implemented, and hadn’t the Security Protocol been implemented, we wouldn’t have the CPA, and without the CPA, there would be no independence of South Sudan.”
Comrade Yasir Said Arman: “If you asked the earth who liberated it and the earth had a tongue, if it mentioned the people at the beginning, Bior-Aswad would certainly be among them… I first met Bior-Aswad, or Bior Ajang, in Eastern Equatoria in 1988 when I joined Dr John Garang’s mobile headquarters on our way to Kapoeta. He was the second-in-command and the chief officer in the headquarters at that time. Aswad was an amazing person, noble in character, humble and virtuous. When I joined Dr Garang’s mobile headquarters, many comrades welcomed me while others were wary of me as someone coming from distant lands. But Bior-Aswad extended to me the wings of love and noble brotherhood, filling our world with stories, laughter, wit and gallantry. He treated me as a brother not born from the same mother throughout all the years I knew him until his passing… In recent years, the departure of many comrades whom I met during the vibrant years of youth has saddened me; however, I have never felt the pain and sorrow I did upon the passing of Commander Bior Ajang Duot, who passed away in Juba on 13 August 2024. I can confidently say that the city of Juba has not grieved as it has for Bior-Aswad since the martyrdom of John Garang. His untimely departure has awakened sorrows and brought forth the earth’s burdens of grief. Bior-Aswad played a pivotal role, and the history of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army would be incomplete without mentioning his name.”
Comrade Pagan Amum Okiech: “When we got the sad news of his demise, it was a big shock to us and to me in particular. General Bior-Aswad was a liberator, freedom fighter and a great human being. Before he joined the struggle, he was a teacher, and indeed the profession of being a teacher continued with him as a liberator, as a freedom fighter and as a comrade. He was also a teacher to many of his comrades and subordinates. Just three weeks ago, he visited us at Ole Sereni Hotel, where the Tumaini Initiative was being conducted by the parties and stakeholders. His words of encouragement to us were very clear: that we should focus on rescuing our country and addressing the multiple vices afflicting South Sudan. Bior was talking about the need to achieve sustainable peace in South Sudan and the need for us to restore our vision and build a peaceful, just and prosperous country. He was urging us to achieve these and for us all to go back home and rescue the country and build that peaceful and prosperous South Sudan for all South Sudanese. Bior was a great patriot. […] We renew our commitment to him and to all our martyrs that we will make their dream come true, the dream of a peaceful South Sudan in which our people live in peace and harmony. “
Dr Lujang John Jangaling: “Hardest to believe you have gone, General, after just a day since our meeting on Monday to okay your dummy book. So devastating, but your sacrifice during the liberation era didn’t go unnoticed. You’re a beacon of hope for us who are today successful in different capacities in all corners of the world. A diplomat, father, friend, educator, disciplined General, a hero has gone after accomplishing what brought him to this world. Rest in peace, Papa. Most of us whom you once rescued, starved and malnourished on the frontline of Panyagor and the deeper jungles of Jonglei as child soldiers or associated child soldiers will continue to tell your legacy to the next generation.”
Sources and References
(A) Conversation and Personal Communications
1. Conversation with Gen Deng-Marong Ajang Duot (9 August 2026).
2. Conversation with Gen Bior-Matoto Kwir Deng-Aliau (29 July 2025).
3. Conversation with Awaak Duot-Gutghok Kongor (28 July 2026).
4. Conversation with Khot Awaak-Kolong Ajang Duot (29 July 2026).
5. Conversation with Moulana Thon Agwer-Ayupyaar Bior (4 August 2026).
6. Conversation with Moulana Duot-Thii Ajang Duot (6 August 2026).
7. Conversation with Bul-Maguor Ajang Duot (6 August 2026).
8. Conversation with Deng Duot Deng Jok (9 August 2026).
9. Conversation with Bior Deng-Marong Ajang Duot (9 August 2026).
10. Conversation with Moulana Ghak-Mator Jurkuch Ghak (14 August 2026).
11. Conversation with Ajang-Jaba Bior Ajang Duot (14 August 2026).
(B) Published Sources
10. Lujang John Jangaling, General Bior Ajang Duot: A Beacon of Hope, Love and Unity for South Sudan (Virtue Book Publishers, 2024).
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