Abel Alier

Abel Alier Kwai
FirstVice President of Sudan
In office 1971–1972
President	Gaafar Nimeiry
Preceded by	Babiker Awadalla
Succeeded by	Mohamed Al-Baghir Ahmed
SecondVice President of Sudan
In office 1972–1982
Preceded by	Khalid Hassan Abbas
Succeeded by	Joseph Lagu
President of the High Executive Council of theSouthern Sudan Autonomous Region
In office 6 April 1972 – February 1978
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Joseph Lagu
Personal details
Born	(1933-06-23)June 23, 1933 Bor District,Upper Nile,Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Nationality	South Sudanese
Alma mater	University of Khartoum
Ethnicity	Dinka

Abel Alier Kwai(born June 23, 1933) is aSouth Sudanesepoliticianand judge who served asFirst Vice President of Sudanbetween 1971 and 1982 and as President of the High Executive Council of theSouthern Sudan Autonomous Regionbetween 1972 and 1978. Abel Alier was a politician who managed to complete his college education among many Southern Sudanese. He is an internationally respected judge, human-rights lawyer and activist on behalf of Christians in the Sudan. FormerVice President of Sudan(1971–1982), he served as the first president of theHigh Executive Council of Southern Sudan.He sits on the Permanent Court of International Arbitration inThe Hagueand is recognized as Sudan's most prominent Christian lawyer. His latest book isSouthern Sudan: Too Many Agreements Dishonoured.

Early years

Alier was born in June 1933 in theBor Districtof theUpper Nile StateinAnglo-Egyptian Sudan(now withinSouth Sudan). He attended the renowned Rumbek Secondary School, which educated many South Sudanese leaders. He also attended the Wad Saina School in northern Sudan. He graduated from Law School ofUniversity of Khartoumand had his own law firm prior to his appointment as magistrate, becoming the first Sudanese judge of southern origin. He was active in theSouthern Frontsince its foundation in 1964 and was in of its representatives at the Round Table Conference in 1965. He was elected to the National Parliament from 1968 to 1969 for Bor South constituency.He subsequently held several ministerial positions in the Sudanese government.

Addis Ababa Agreement of 1972

Abel Alier was instrumental in the creation of the 1972Addis Ababa Agreementwhich permitted southern Sudan to have its own autonomous government based out ofJuba.Alier became a Vice President of Sudan underGaafar Nimeiry.

In 2005 he headed the committee that was appointed to investigate the death ofJohn Garangwho had died in a helicopter crash after leaving Uganda for Sudan. Alier and his team did their part to investigate the possible mechanical failure that led to the crash which had been blamed on bad weather and lack of visibility although the Ugandan PresidentYoweri Musevenihinted that the possibility of foul play was something that shouldn't be dismissed or disregarded.

Sudan peace deals

In early 1990s, Abel Alier wrote a book under the titleSouthern Sudan: Too Many Agreements Dishonored.The agreement signed inEthiopiain 1972 was dishonored by Nimeiry in 1983 when he announced the introduction of Islamic Law.

In early 1997 Dr.Riek Machar,signed an agreement with Khartoum, referred to as "The Khartoum Agreement".It was never implemented. Alier's book was about such agreements and the failure to implement them. The recent peace deal between the south and north of Sudan is known as" The Comprehensive Peace Agreement "(CPA). This is the agreement that was signed by John Garang before his death on July 30 2005. The international community including theUnited States,theUnited Kingdom,theEUand theUnited Nationsalong with the AfricanIGADhave supported this agreement.

References

• "Press info: Hon. Abel Alier, former Sudan vice-president".Archived fromthe originalon 2004-05-30.Retrieved2015-07-03.

External links

• Book
• Southern Sudan Politicians