Majur Nhial Makol, a general in South Sudan’s police service, has died in Bor, the administrative headquarters of Jonglei state.

Jonglei state governor Philip Aguer Panyang announced on Friday the passing of Lt. Gen. Majur Nhial Makol.

Aguer described the fallen police general as “a hero, war veteran, selfless, patriot and freedom fighter who fought to achieve the dream causing decades of liberation struggle”.

He died on Thursday following a short illness. The cause of which was not explained in the statement. 

Majur, according to a statement, was a Lt. Colonel in Sudanese Police when he joined a group of South Sudanese officers and soldiers who defected in Bor on 16 May 1983 when military garrison at Malualchat, the headquarters of 105 battalion predominantly southern soldiers absorbed into the Sudanese army following the signing of the 1972 peace agreement that briefly ended the first war.

Born in 1946 at Pathuyith village in Dinka Bor and went to school at Mathiang Court Centre.  He attended Juba Commercial Secondary School before being admitted to Khartoum University where he studied bachelor of economics and masters of economics at the University of Cambridge in 1977.

General Makol served in Anyanya 2 with Akuot Atem and Abdalla Chuol Deng among others.

He became the second ambassador to Libya after Lual Diing Wol, where he assisted in the setup of the first SPLA/M radio.  He served in various high profile positions in the Ministry of Finance and the Police.