Peter Par Jiek
Peter Par Jiek | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1950s[1] |
| Died | 9 April 2017[2] Near Wau, South Sudan |
| Allegiance | SPLA (c. 1985–1991) SPLA-Nasir (1991–1993) SPLA-United (1993–1994) SSIM/A (1994–1997) SSDF (1997–2000) SPDF (2000–2002)[3] SPLA (2002–2017)  South Sudan (2011–2017) |
| Service |  Sudan People's Liberation Army |
| Years of service | c. 1985–2017 |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Commands | Wau State counter-insurgency forces (2014–2017) |
| Battles / wars | Second Sudanese Civil War |
Peter Par Jiek (1950s – 9 April 2017) was a brigadier general of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), and veteran of the Second Sudanese Civil War. Despite being a long-time follower of Riek Machar, Par sided with President Salva Kiir Mayardit upon the outbreak of the South Sudanese Civil War in 2013. Leading pro-government counter-insurgency forces in Wau State since 2014, Par was eventually ambushed and killed by SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Machar in 2017.
Biography
Second Sudanese Civil War
Peter Par Jiek was born in the 1950s as member of the Dok subgroup of the Nuer people. He visited the Malakal secondary school and attained high school education. After the outbreak of the Second Sudanese Civil War, he joined the SPLA.[1] In 1991,[3] however, Par followed Riek Machar as he broke away from the SPLA, and afterwards served in Machar's various rebel groups, such as the SPLA-Nasir, SPLA-United, SSIM/A, SSDF, and SPDF.[1][3] Over time, Par rose in rank, and by 1999 he had become the SSDF's field commander in the area around Leer. Under the direct command of Tito Biel, he and his forces fought the Sudanese government for control of the town,[4] and eventually succeeded in capturing it. When Machar rejoined the SPLA in 2002, Par followed him,[3] and repulsed an attempt of the pro-government National Islamic Front to capture Leer in September 2002.[5]
South Sudanese Civil War
After South Sudan's independence in 2011, Par was appointed brigadier general of the SPLA.[2] When the civil war between Kiir and Machar broke out in 2013, Par decided to side with Kiir, and quickly became one of the government's leading counter-insurgency commanders. He narrowly escaped death in 2014, when rebels captured Bentiu and massacred all local government supporters. Afterwards, Par joined the SPLA's 5th Division in Wau State, where he was accused of ordering the killings of Nuer SPLA soldiers in Wau town and Mapel who were suspected of sympathizing with Machar. Since the outbreak of a widespread rebellion in Wau State in 2016, Par was heavily involved in fighting the local insurgents[1] and became the leading commander for all SPLA operations in Wau State.[2]
In April 2017, Par led a major government offensive aimed at retaking Baggari, an important town in Wau State held by SPLM-IO forces. Though his men defeated the rebels and captured Baggari, his convoy was ambushed as it return to Wau town on 9 April 2017. Par, along with Colonel Abraham Bol Chut Dhuol and twelve of their bodyguards, were killed in the following shootout.[2][6] In revenge for their deaths, SPLA soldiers and pro-government Dinka militiamen belonging to Mathiang Anyoor murdered and robbed non-Dinkas in Wau town and surrounding villages.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d "BREAKING NEWS: Another Senior Government General Feared Dead in an Ambush near Wau, Western Bhar el Ghazal". Nyamile. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Two South Sudan army generals killed in clashes with rebels". gurtong. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Special Report IV: Who is who". IRIN. 11 March 2004. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ Harker (2000), p. 13.
- ^ Samson L. Kwaje (26 September 2002). "SPLM Downs Helicopter Gunship As NIF Escalates Fighting". gurtong. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ "Western Lake Governor Matur Chut Collapses, Surviving Death of his Brothers". Nyamilepedia. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "South Sudan: Civilians killed in Wau fighting". Al Jazeera. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
Bibliography
- Harker, John (2000). Human Security in Sudan: The Report of a Canadian Assessment Mission. Ottawa: Global Affairs Canada.
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