The Episcopal Church of South Sudan announced the death of retired Bishop Nathaniel Garang Anyieth on Tuesday, 24 February 2026, in Nairobi, Kenya.
In a statement to the nation, Archbishop Justin Badi Arama, the church’s primate, said:
“With heavy heart, the province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan announces the passing of the retired Bishop Nathaniel Garang, which occurred this morning in Nairobi. The late Bishop Garang was consecrated in 1984 and became the first Diocesan Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Bor. He served his people with courage, humility, and a pastoral heart.”
Archbishop Arama added:
“He gave hope and spiritual guidance to the people of South Sudan throughout the liberation struggle. We request prayers for his immediate family and for the arrangements to bring his remains back home. May his soul rest in peace and rise in glory.”
Early Life
Nathaniel Garang Anyieth was born in 1940 in Werkok Village, Makuach Payam, Bor County, Jonglei State. He began primary education at Akol Ajak Bush in 1954, later continuing at Malek Primary School from 1957.
Feeling a strong vocational call to ministry amid Sudan’s long-running conflicts, he pursued theological education, earning a diploma from Nairobi Pentecostal Bible College in 1974 and was ordained as a pastor in 1975.
Rise in Church Leadership
In 1984, Garang was consecrated as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Bor, a historic milestone as the first South Sudanese leader in a diocese previously dominated by foreign missionaries. Shortly after, Bor came under attack during the Second Sudanese Civil War, forcing Garang to flee with his congregation into rural areas. He ministered in isolation for several years, earning the nickname “the lost bishop” among international church observers.
During this period, he continued baptising, teaching, and ordaining clergy, providing spiritual guidance to displaced communities and refugees.
Throughout the 1990s, Garang played a central role in the religious and social transformation of communities in Greater Jonglei and among South Sudanese refugees in Kenya. He worked to bridge conflict divides, nurture Christian fellowship in war-torn communities, and support evangelisation in areas previously dominated by traditional belief systems.
After the war, Garang rose through the Episcopal Church hierarchy. In 2006, he became Dean of the Province and later served as acting Archbishop following the death of Archbishop Joseph Marona.
Ahead of South Sudan’s independence in 2011, he publicly encouraged reconciliation, youth involvement in development, and cooperation between church and society.
Retirement and Legacy
Garang retired in 2011 after nearly three decades leading the Bor Diocese, succeeded by Ruben Akurdid Ngong. Even in retirement, he remained a respected voice within the church. In 2023, the Episcopal Church of South Sudan honoured him with an Evangelism Award for his decades-long service.
In 2024, Bishop Garang was airlifted to Nairobi for treatment of severe malaria and later discharged after recovery.