The Paramount Chief of the Bounchuai community in Aweil South County, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, Piol Geng Ariath, has died in Egypt after a prolonged illness, family members said on Monday.
Dr. Chan Awier, a close relative of the late chief, told Radio Tamazuj that Geng died on Sunday evening in Egypt after suffering from what the family described as heart cancer. He was believed to be in his 60s.
“The paramount chief passed away on Sunday at 5 p.m. South Sudan time in Egypt, and arrangements to transfer his remains from Egypt to his home village via Juba have not yet started,” Awier said.
“According to the health reports, he succumbed to heart cancer, and we will verify the medical papers later,” he added.
Awier said the family had sought medical treatment for Geng in both South Sudan and Egypt in an effort to save his life.
“We did our best to save the life of our loved one. We flew him to Juba and then to Egypt with the hope that his health would improve, but unfortunately he passed away,” he said.
He said Geng had been ill for a long time and was initially referred to Juba, where his condition worsened and he was admitted to an intensive care unit before being transferred to Egypt for specialised treatment.
“Our hope was that he would recover, but God took him yesterday,” Awier said.
Geng became Paramount Chief of the Bounchuai community in March 1998, succeeding his elderly father, Geng Ariath.
He also held the rank of brigadier general in the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces at the time of his death.
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