George Athor Deng (1962 – 19 December 2011) was the

Sudan People's Liberation Army The South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF), formerly the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), is the military force of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement against the government of Sudan in 1983 and was a key parti ...

lieutenant general and a SPLA dissident who led the

South Sudan Democratic Movement The South Sudan Democratic Movement (SSDM), sometimes called the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army (SSDM/A), was a South Sudanese militant group. Along with its armed wing, the South Sudan Defence Army (SSDA), rebelled against the government ...

and its military wing, the South Sudan Defence Army. He was also an independent candidate for the leadership of

Jonglei Jonglei State is a state of South Sudan with Bor as its centre of government and the biggest city. Jonglei state comprises nine counties: Bor, Akobo, Ayod, Uror, Duk, Nyirol, Pigi, Twic East, and Fangak. Jonglei State is the largest s ...

prior to the independence of

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

. Athor joined the SPLA in 1983 and was appointed to the rank of major general after the SPLA formalised their rank structures after 2005. Athor became Upper Nile ( 1st Division), then Jonglei division commander (Jonglei being 8th Division). He was later promoted to lieutenant general and made deputy chief of staff for political and moral orientation. Numerous rumors accused him of being involved into weapons smuggling, traffic of influence and misappropriation of funds both in Jonglei and Upper Nile. He was also deeply involved in the

White Army The White Army, also known as the White Guard, the White Guardsmen, or simply the Whites, was a common collective name for the armed formations of the White movement and Anti-Sovietism, anti-Bolshevik governments during the Russian Civil War. T ...

bloody disarmament in 2006. After the April 2010 elections, after suspicions of fraud in the process, Athor orchestrated a series of attacks on SPLA bases. Further attacks lead to great insecurity in the north-western portion of Jonglei state. Although Athor reportedly agreed to a ceasefire before the January 2011 referendum, in February 2011, BBC reported the killing of 200 civilians by Athor's men. On 20 December 2011, it was reported by the BBC that Athor had been killed trying to enter

in an attempt to gain more troops. South Sudan's Vice-President Riak Machar Teny said that he was killed on 19 December in a clash with border guards. It was confirmed by Vice President

Riek Machar Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon (born 26 November 1952) is a South Sudanese politician who has served as the vice president of South Sudan on several occasions, most recently as the first vice president, since 2020. A member of the Nuer ethnic group ...

that Athor was killed by the

during a clash between Athor and his men and the military at

Morobo County Morobo is one of the six Counties of South Sudan, counties in Central Equatoria state, South Sudan. Morobo County borders Uganda and Congo. The county is mainly occupied by Kakwa language (Africa), Kakwa speaking people, Keliko people, Keliko and ...

Central Equatoria Central Equatoria is a states of South Sudan, state in South Sudan. With an area of , it is the smallest of the original South Sudanese states. Its previous name was Bahr al-Jabal (also Bahr-el-Jebel), named after a tributary of the White Nile t ...

References

*Small Arms Survey - HSBA Baseline Assessment
Armed Groups: Athor
1962 births 2011 deaths Sudan People's Liberation Movement politicians Deaths by firearm in Sudan African warlords {{sudan-mil-bio-stub

See also

References