Death of first veteran Southerner politician to lead Sudan
May 24, 2010 (JUBA) – A veteran politician, and the first Southern Sudanese official to head the Republic of Sudan, has died.
Luigi Adwok Bong Gicomeho died on Friday, 21st May in the national capital, Khartoum, after a long illness and was buried on Sunday in his native village in Upper Nile state.
Born in 1929, he had been President of Sudan for the first time in December 1964, when Sudan went through a period of collective leadership under a Committee of Sovereignty. The head of that Committee of Sovereignty was elected on rotational basis to lead the country.
Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain visited Sudan during the time Adwok was the acting President of Sudan.
President Omer Al-Bashir on Saturday issued a statement expressing sincere condolences of the Sudanese presidency to Luigi’s family.
Paying his condolences on behalf of the Southern Sudan President, Salva Kiir Mayardit and on behalf of the government, Vice President-designate, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, who flew to the state capital, Malakal, on Sunday to attend the burial ceremony, said Adwok was “a great leader…our father and leader for the whole South and the whole Sudan.”
He narrated the political history of late Adwok, saying he might go down in the history of Sudan as the first Southern Sudanese to rule the whole of Sudan.
His body was accompanied from Khartoum by a number of veteran leaders
among them included Abel Alier and Joseph Lagu. The leadership of Upper Nile state government and the Prince of the Shilluk Kingdom were also present.
Dr. Machar said he was saddened by the death of “this great leader” before he could see the day the South votes in the referendum on independence.
“We would have wanted them [veteran leaders] to see the day the South votes in the referendum…God knows what he does…there are those who will see the day and those that will not. Unfortunately, our father has become one of them,” he told the gathering.
Uncle Adwok, who is from the Shilluk ethnic group, was over 90 years old when he died and is survived by dozens of his sons and daughters.
(ST)
AUGUSTINO DENG
Death of first veteran Southerner politician to lead Sudan
May the Lord rest his soul in peace!!, but, however, the report saying that the Late Mr Luigi Adwok Bong Gicomeho was the first President of Sudan in 1964, was wrong. Jaffar Nimeiri took power in 1963 from General Aboud. By the way, did the reporter tried to say that Mr Luigi Adwok Bong was a president of Shilluk tribe or did he tried to say that Mr Luigi Adwok Bong was a Governor of Malakal?
To be honest, no one of Shilluk tribe personel in Malakal had every become a President in the whole Sudan. The only person that I know was Dr Lam Akol, but he was an extremist rebel to the SPLM/SPLA. I love Shilluk people, but on the other coin, we should not give credibility any howly when someone died. I think even Shilluk people in Malakal can tell that no one of Shilluk tribe personel had become a President of Sudan. If Mr Luigi Adwok Bong become a president of Sudan in 1964, then when did Jaffar Nimeiri become a president of Sudan?
BY AUGUSTINO DENG
Dinka Boy
Death of first veteran Southerner politician to lead Sudan
Biasing will trashed our people-South Sudanese. They like to tell us flimsy all the time and this things make our people very shame in the eyes of the public.
May God rest our great leader peacefully.
President of Sudan in 1964? Wow!
James Okuk Solomon
Death of first veteran Southerner politician to lead Sudan
Those who think dullily that the history of Southerners starts with them will always rush to think that they were the only ones born to rule. Indeed the late veteran politician and statesman Luigi Adwok became the Sudanese Head of State for one weak on a rotation-basis. The visit of Queen Elizabeth of UK was a recorded witness.
May his soul rest in eternal peace as the first Southerner who became head of state in the Republic of the Sudan.
daniel mangok
Death of first veteran Southerner politician to lead Sudan
Hey folks,
I think no one among you had ever figured out what is wrong with Luigi Adwok’s death article in Sudan tribune. In the first paragraph they said Luigi Adwok from Shilluk ethnic group die on Friday, 21st May 2010, in the Sudan capital (Khartoum) and he was born in 1929. In the last paragraph they dedicated that Luigi Adwok was over 90 years old when he dies. I have no problem whether he had been a first president of Sudan for only a week or not but when Luigi Adwok was born in 1929 and die in 2010, than he dies at the age of 71. Not over 90 year’s old, right? However, Sudan tribune may possibly need good editors before they post an article because something may goes wrong, now it shows that the whole article based on Luigi Adwok’s death is not right except the day and the year he dies is precisely right. Maybe Mr. Adwok was born in the Shilluk village around 1929 and then he attended school where he got a counterfeit birth certificate like me, but he doesn’t knows his real age and nobody knows his real age based on my understanding.