Santino Deng Wol is a South Sudanese military figure serving as the chief of defence forces of the South Sudan People's Defence Forces.[1] He served as Lion Division commander from 2007 to 2017 and currently serving as the Assistant Chief of Defence Force for Administration, Finance and Personnel of South Sudanese army, SSPDF after being transferred from the post of Ground Force Commander. His hometown is Udhum which is part of Aweil West County in Northern Bahr el Ghazal.
Santino Deng Wol | |
|---|---|
| Chief of defence forces of the South Sudan People's Defence Forces | |
| Assumed office 11 April 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Johnson Juma Okot |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | South Sudanese |
| Political party | Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) |
| Occupation | Military Commander |
Military figure
editSantino Deng Wol has been a commander of South Sudanese military branch known as "Division 3" or simply "Lion Division" cored in Wunyiek, Aweil East County. He began his military career in the 1960s as a mercenary of the Arabs. During this period, at the head of a small paralimitary unit sent to fight the rebel Anya-Nya group, he wreak the region of Aweil avoc.[2] It was during these actions that his men, on August 23, 1965, would have killed in cold blood the young Combonian missionary Father Barnaba Deng.[2] According to Naranjo and Moschetti, Father Barnaba was targetted by Santino's men due to his stance in defence of local victims of the soldiers violence.[2]
In 2014 during rebellion of Riek Machar with his fellow Nuers, Deng Wol carried out many attacks in residential areas of the rebel forces in Bentiu, Bor and Malakal. On 1 July 2015, Deng Wol was listed in United Nation sanctions alongside his fellow South Sudanese war commanders namely Marial Chengdong and Peter Gadet for torching civilians alive in houses, targeting civilians and killing civilians in religious bases.[3] Wol's actions were connected to disruption of an agreed upon peace in the region.[4] On 11 April 2021, Wol was named Chief of Staff of the South Sudan People's Defence Forces.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "South Sudan's president appoints new army chief". Reuters. 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- ^ a b c Naranjo Alcaide & Daniel Moschetti, Jorge (2016). Tras las huellas de Comboni. Editorial Mundo Negro. pp. 155–59. ISBN 978-84-7295-251-5.
- ^ UN enlisted South Sudanese commanders in sanctions for human right violations
- ^ "US imposes sanctions on more South Sudanese military - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan". www.sudantribune.com. Retrieved 2017-05-08.
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