Late Gatluak Thot Muang’s Biography

Gatluak Thot Muang was born on December 15, 1972 in Nasir town of Malakal, Southern Sudan. He started his primary school at Nasir’s Dediim/Nor Deng in 1981. He left Nasir in 1984 when the Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) attacked the town of Nasir when his life and others’ became threatened by an ongoing retaliation by the government forces. His village became a front line of heavy fighting between the SPLA and the Sudan Army Force. Due to civil unrest around Nasir area as the war intensified, many people escaped for safety. The town got burned down as well has his village and school, so he fled to Ethiopia’s Itang refugees’ camp where the Sudanese refugees were settled by the Ethiopian government with help from United Nation. He was thirteen year old at that time, and his parents were living in different town at the time he escaped from Nasir to Ethiopia.

In June 1984, he became a refugee at the Itang refugee’s camp and lived there for eight years. While living in the refugee’s camp, he enrolled in Itang primary school, a refugee education center, support jointly by Ethiopia Orthodox Church, and the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees. The medium of instruction at Itang primary school was in English but his previous educational background included limited Nuer and little Arabic. As a result of not having strong educational foundation, he resumed his education at first grade level and that of course, a setback for a person of his age to started from the beginning.

William continued his education in Ethiopia until summer of 1991 when the Sudanese refugees returned back to Sudan after the communist regime of Ethiopia was toppled, which created another civil unrest, causing the refugees to scattered after leaving Itang refugees camp. William Gatluak and his parents once again scattered. The fall of the regime drove thousands of Sudanese refugees back to their liberated areas of Southern Sudan, which they previously fled due to the civil war. William returned back to Ethiopia in the same year of 1991, seeking for an opportunity to return back to school. His overall ambition of doing this was to get himself education so that he could serve his people educationally.

In the second refugees’ camp after he returned back to Ethiopia, things were quite unusual in terms of security, health care, and living necessities. In light of danger that Itang’s insecurity posed on his life, he decided to go to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia where he was supported by his brother -in- law William Deng Tut who was living in the USA. In Addis Ababa, things were a little bit better compared to the life in the refugees’ camp. While in Addis Ababa, William Gatluak was given an asylum under protection by the United Nation to stay in Addis. William Gatluak resumed his education with a support by his brother in-law, William Deng Tut. He was enrolled by his brother in-law, William Tut, in seven grades at Kuyara boarding school where he successfully completed matriculation exams. While in Addis Ababa, these accomplishments paved his way for United Nation scholarship program; he was awarded scholarship based on his successful completion of high school with acceptable GPA. He completed his high school and worked with the UN to help new arrival refugees with translations in Addis Ababa while pursuing higher education. He completed his two years diploma in nursing program.

In 2005 after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed, he went back to Southern Sudan where he was able to help his people with education he had from Ethiopia. He worked in Malakal Hospital as a nurse and worked with the UN and the UNISF as a translator in Malakal. He never gave up his educational ambition. He applied to attend a medical school in Malakal with hope to pursue his medical degree. His major goal was to become a highly educated medical doctor with a goal to provide medical treatment to medically-underserved Southern Sudanese people. He was accepted to medical school and started his higher education course work in Malakal city of Southern Sudan. William succeeded up to third Year University, closed to achieve his dream, when unfortunately a liver disease ended his life. He survived by his wife, Sarah Nyaluak Lam, and his daughter, Nyaliep William Gatluak. He has three brothers and six sisters with five a life and one pass away last year. He has seven nieces and eight nephews. His father and mother still a life.

Gatluak was a great man devoted his life and continued helping his people even during the liberation struggle for an independence of the Southern Sudan. He was a great leader, God lover, honest, supportive, and courageous individual. He never gave up so easily. He treated his people with high respect. His life on earth ended on December 2, 2010 in Kampala’s hospital in Uganda, Africa at age of 38. Family members are listed below:

Father’s name Thot Muang, his mother, Nyabiel Rangdit, his wife, Sarah Nyaluak Lam, and his daughter, Nyaliep Gatluak. His siblings are as follows: Nyakuoth Thot, Nyakaka Thot, Nyabel Thot, Nyaboth Thot, Nyadouth Thot, Nyaliep Thot, his brothers Lam Thot Muang, and Gatthak Thot Muang.