Paramount Chief of Unity Dies Aged 92

8 January - (Nairobi) - One of the paramount chiefs in Unity state, Ruey Kuong, has passed away.

The 92 year-old Ruey Kuong died on 31st of December in his home in Ganyliel in Panyijiar County.

Ruey is survived by 75 children and 35 wives. He went to school in Ethiopia up to class six and became chief in 1944 during the British colonial period.

Ruey predicted that he would die by the end of the year and that he would take all bad spells with him and leave blessings to the living.

He left his seat to his son, Mayul Ruey Kuong.

Ruey loved peace and was very generous. He was famous for calling people - even people he did not know, “Ruey’s children”.

He is well remembered for brokering a successful peace agreement, popularly known as the Unlit peace agreement, between neighboring, Unity, Lakes state and Bahr el Ghazal State in 2005.

During the war, he facilitated SPLA movements by providing them with food when they came to his areas.

His funeral will take place in February and will be attended by government officials from Unity and other neighboring states.

Source: Sudan Radio Service (http://www.sudanradio.org/viewArticle.php?id=1844)