Time to recognize you as our father, family man, humanist, civil servant, civilians leader and an elderly in roman catholic church, Sudan & South Sudan may good lord rest you eternally amen

Time to recognize you as our father, family man, humanist, civil servant, civilians leader and an elderly in roman catholic church, Sudan & South Sudan may good lord rest you eternally amen

 

 

 

 

On Friday October eighth around 6pm Sudan local time there were news all over South Sudan about our father death (1948-2021). Friday of the year 2021 was sad to me naturally I can remember after my arrival to class five minute late over the reasons of following up news about father conditions at home with family members.

 

I remember getting to answered some few questions from professor upon calling me twice and more & since they were all goes unanswered and he decisions to move on without returns and I deserve missing in present. Our family members were meeting while following them online figuring out what to do about father conditions that were so fragile and unpredictable.

The incoming messages from extended family members online and through phones were extremely demoralising. Father was struggling to live and was only under support of oxygen and should any emergency referral be done he might risk losing his life entirely in the processes. He was surrounded in silent by his family members.

Saddened enough he wasn’t able to be spoken to in phone from us outside the country and from people of goodwill who were left with messages of prayers and quick recovery from all over South Sudan and in far flank places. The rest of my brothers who were besides him saw him breathing up once and our beloved father passed on slowly in the evening hours of Friday eighth October 2021. Some of his children outside the country to whom I was one of them were denied father news until Saturday morning the following day when the news were keenly broken to us and the rest of the people. The whole of that week month of October and the whole year were later on sad indeed and unforgettable to me and the family circles.

 

Briefly elder Agei Dut Aguet was borne after second world wars in the current Tonj South county of Jak payam, rural Manyiel Agei village, warrap state, South Sudan. He was a son to parents that were considered to be first roman catholic christians according to different narrative in the area. Father dairy reads both George Dut and Mary Akech were first to be baptist and converted into catholic faith by missionaries that were said to be first evangelisers in Busere south east of Tonj town area. After the pass of educator George Dut century later junior Agei Dut drew another line of getting to be educated by similar catholic priest in emulations of his outgoing father who was a christian in the area. Junior Agei Dut was educated with his three (3) sisters how to reads and writes dinka translations into English and eventually the gospel readings in vernacular.

 

After elementary education he decided to heirs chieftaincy something he later on decided over and changed into balancing between the family line of sultanate and the modernity. He grew up decisively with different world-views of wanting to be civilian leader a position he was later endorsed by virtue of being morally upright educated and above all a humanist in relations to perspective of the mission schools and church position in southern Tonj area. As from his child age inspirations he wanted modernity system of leadership something that came to him naturally upon getting appointed into Bar-el-Gazel union chairpersonship.

 

 

According to his peers the time elder Agei Dut unified Bar-el-gazel by only powers of words and message of peace through judicial processes in a volatile situations were cattle rustling were the order of the years between his tribe mates and outsiders. He was said to shall have favour outsiders than his tribe men in different settlement of conflicts situations. He further on by encouraging mediation efforts between rural administrators and the british rules in the area. Elder Agei Dut encourages system of peace mediations for justice to be done instead of violent and revenge tact. He was praised in the elevations of human development in promotions of cultures system of christianity, educational civilisation, agriculture development and village urbanisations through proper roads networks and better healthcares system in rural areas.

 

 

 

 

After the independence South Sudan from Sudan through CPA Kenya leadership of new Sudan Council of churches missions of peace deal at the grassroots consulted his capability of peace and reconciliation implementations. He was appointed at judicial position as the county judge position that was later on upgraded into positions of state legislative assembly representing Tonj South as an area MP until he retired in 2015. Since he was a christian he retired all civil servant positions into voluntarily duty of Tonj community leadership as well as advisory works in diocesans missions of peace in the area. He simply like the Gospel of Mathew in peace sustainability & verse sixth said‘’ God promises beauty of human persons to Him than any other 24.’’ Elder Agei Dut died in office as a community leader something we family members are grateful to people of Tonj for having his position remain unoccupied up to date in respect of the man whom they considered to shall have all done them well.

 

Elder Agei Dut was not a blessing to area alone but to the rest of the regions of South Sudan as a country. Family of Arol Kacuol in Kenya eulogizes him for executive works he had done in the area before when he was their first leader when the country was Sudan. There were praises of balancing between social ramifications and positions of local governance. Simply he was a good man according to lakes state people, South Sudan.

 

After Sudanese conflict, Sudan was rule by Bishop Rudolf Deng Majak and southern regions was under Bishop Caesar Mazzolari and both mens praised elder Agei Dut for peace efforts. One of the Tonj gathering in Nairobi Bishop Rudolf Deng expresses his solidarity of peace in catholic using elder Agei Dut back than at St. Mary catholic, diocese of Wau. In popular opinions Chief Majak Akot Bol expressed the goods of the man in several occasions. Judicially they were safe in the county and justices were freely givens and one may found elder Agei Dut in every mass on Sunday he said.’’ Mama Ayen Parek Machar said she was a classmate to elder Agei Dut and since the duos were good friends, she listened to him’’ in leaving her educations to marry SANU leader William Deng back then she went a head and do it.’’ UN agency in warrap state describe elder Agei Dut as tactful leader of peace in one of the conference convened in Tonj area 2014. Sudan tribune online editions praises his humane ways of dispute settlements in the decade of conflict in the area upon press he release in violent condemnations in circa 2015.
The evident of turning up of people in funeral prayers that was done in Juba by Tonj people before burial in the village demonstrated the likes of the man by his fellow countrymen. Function was attain overwhelmingly regardless of health ministry directives within the trusts that non would fall away in paying tribute to elder Agei Dut. A week after the official pass of late Agei Dut social media commentaries were uncontrollable in expressions of the man they love so much. Tonj community secretary and former governor of warrap state Louis Anei Madut Kueidit expresses his condolences messages of the man in writing and in speech. Finally different people from different walks of life pays their last tribute to elder Agei Dut in persons at rural Manyiel Agei village in final burial ceremony. Elderly he used to be greeted while standing using nickname of either bany Agei Mathordit or simply honourable Agei Dut a respect he never passed on to his children albeit.

 

In conclusion the family at the individual opinions requested Tonj community to elect their leader. After the pass of a leader people cannot lives long without a leader a law. Prayers are that may the missing of elder Agei Dut in the world never causes divisions and it should be a point of unity itself. Leaders come and go and the place remain the way suppose to be. Those who interact with him individually shed tears in the news of seeing the man on a journey of no returns. Different opinions in prayers functions in Juba expresses wishes of anything they would have done differently in reversing his life on earth fortunately it was by only done by God. Without exaggerations elder Agei Dut uses to be loves even by people who knew nothing about him and whereabouts. Department of diplomacy and international studies University of Nairobi loves to cite elder Agei Dut in moderations of classes than any other names in the registry. Similar situations occurrence at the faculty of international studies US University Africa Nairobi where graduations name callings prepares elder Agei Dut surname instead of the other way around.
He was a leader of prayers, man of peace and adapts christians. In the word of sage good people never died completely in the world. The God who gives life reverses legacy in children who at some points surpassed the resting soul so dearly. Before going for retirement eight years ago his community leadership position was vied by one of his son in Kenya who rule an opposed for eight years. Elder Agei Dut loves God in all situations of life be it goods or not.

 

He consults God in decision making and thanks him for the outcomes still. After visionaries of elderly knowledge of him not going to lives longer than last year he willed to be taken to rural Manyiel Agei village for burial next to his mother Mary Akech and George Dut whom he named more than enough in children and that the relatives considered to be architect of good people that are in present day Jak payam, Manyiel Agei village’’ therefore the prayers’’ eternal grant unto him Almighty God and let your perpetual light shine upon him and may he rest in peace amen.’’

 

 

 

 

Dut Augustino Agei is a former Tonj Youth leader as well as the Administrator of the upcoming online website South Sudan foreign relations politics and diplomacy, fellow at Oslo University, Norwegians institute of peace studies and public laws. He can be reached via his email address: dutagostino@yahoo.com