The former deputy governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, Lual Deng Khon, succumbed to cancer on Sunday evening in Juba, a senior government official in Aweil East County where the late hailed from confirmed.
According to sources, he died at around 80 years of age. He is reported to have been married to several wives and is survived by numerous children and was considered an influential political figure in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State before and after the independence of South Sudan.
Aweil East County Commissioner Diing Aher Ngong told Radio Tamazuj Monday that the deceased lost his fight to cancer after being sick for a long time.
“Lual Deng Khon was a great man and a great politician,” he stated. “He was sick for a long time and was referred to India for treatment but he returned home a few days ago and passed away yesterday (Sunday) evening in Juba and we cannot do anything about it because God brings and takes,” confirms Aher.”
According to the commissioner, the deceased served as the deputy governor of Northern Bahr El Ghazal State in 1994 and also served as peacebuilding minister and a National Congress Party (NCP) Member of Parliament in Sudan before the independence of South Sudan.
A TNLA parliamentarian. John Agany Deng, also eulogized the deceased, saying he was a great politician before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A).
“He was among the great politicians in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State before the CPA which was signed in 2005 by the National Congress Party in Sudan and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A),” he said.