Joseph Ukel Garang Wel (1932 – 28 July 1971) was a southern

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

ese politician.

Education and career

Garang attended St. Antony's Bussere (1944–1948) and Rumbek Secondary School (1949–1953). In 1957, he became the first South Sudanese male to obtain a law degree upon graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Khartoum in Sudan. Shortly after graduation, he declined an offer to become a chief justice. Instead, Garang wanted to practice as an attorney and focus on his political career.

Political involvement

He was a member of the

Sudanese Communist Party The Sudanese Communist Party ( abbr. SCP; ) is a communist party in Sudan. Founded in 1946, it was a major force in Sudanese politics in the early post-independence years, and was one of the two most influential communist parties in the Arab ...

, and served as Minister of Southern Affairs in the

Sudanese Government The Government of Sudan is the federal provisional government created by the Constitution of Sudan having executive, parliamentary, and the judicial branches. Previously, a ''president'' was head of state, head of government, and commander-in ...

. In July 1971, Garang and several others were executed after being convicted as conspirators in the short-lived coup that toppled the regime of President

Gaafar Nimeiry Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry (otherwise spelled in English as Gaafar Nimeiry, Jaafar Nimeiry, or Ja'far Muhammad Numayri; ; 1 January 193030 May 2009) was a Sudanese military officer and politician who served as the fourth president of Sudan, hea ...

.Communist Leader Sentenced By Military Court
''Washington Post'', 28 July 1971

References

1971 deaths South Sudanese politicians Sudanese Communist Party politicians University of Khartoum alumni Government ministers of Sudan Executed Sudanese people 20th-century executions by Sudan People executed by Sudan by hanging Sudanese lawyers 1932 births 20th-century lawyers Executed communists {{Sudan-politician-stub