Abdallah Deng Nhial (born c. 1954) is a South Sudanese politician and scholar. He has served in both Sudanese and South Sudanese governments in different positions.
Background Deng is a noted Islamic scholar hailing from Southern Sudan.Wani, Abdalla Keri. Islam in Southern Sudan: Its Impact, Past, Present and Future. Khartoum: Khartoum University Press, 2006. p. 201 He hails from a Dinka family, and is a relative of John Garang. An Arabic language teacher, Deng graduated from al-Azhar University in Cairo.
National Islamic Front period He served as Minister of Religious Affairs in the Sudanese government, but in a 1993 cabinet reshuffle he was moved to the position of Minister of Peace and Reconstruction (with the nominal task to rebuild Southern Sudan).Lesch, Ann Mosely. The Sudan: Contested National Identities. Bloomington [u.a.]: Indiana Univ. Press [u.a.], 1998. p. 117 As part of his new ministerial responsibilities, he also overtook the role of Ali al-Hajj Mohammed in representing the Sudanese government in negotiations with the Sudan People's Liberation Army.Keesing's Record of World Events, Vol. 39. Longman, 1993 In 1994 he was appointed as the governor of the While Nile state.Sudanow, Vol. 19. Ministry of Culture and Information, 1994. pp. 8, 14Africa Research Bulletin: Political, social, and cultural series, Vol. 31–32. Blackwell, 1994. p. 1330 He also served as parliamentary whip and Minister of Youth and Sports. When the National Congress Party split in 1999/2000, Deng sided with Hassan al-Turabi.
Campaign for the presidency Deng was the candidate of the Popular Congress Party in the 2010 Sudanese presidential election. He was the deputy party chief at the time."Sudan Islamists name presidential candidate", AFP, January 2, 2010. His candidature was supported by 26,000 collected signatures. Deng was the sole Southerner in the fray in amongst the presidential candidates. In his campaign vowed to reduce poverty by fighting corruption and improving health, sanitation and education services. He expressed hope that through his candidature he would be able to convince Southerners to vote against separation in the upcoming referendum. Moreover, he stated that his party did not wish to enforce Islamic laws in Southern Sudan.
At the time of the elections the Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram wrote that Deng was "... a seasoned politician who is relatively young and has an enormous political following among both southerners and northerners. He is renowned for being a devout Muslim, albeit a moderate one and a man who is widely seen as a pragmatic and a democrat in political circles."Al-Ahram. Second best choice Commenting on Deng's candidature, the party leader al-Turabi stated that the Popular Congress Party wished to show that it was open to all Sudanese regardless of race or ethnicity.Reuters. CORRECTED - FACTBOX-Sudan's main presidential candidates The presidential candidate of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, Yasir Arman, welcomed the nomination of Adballah, saying that the nomination broke the stereotype of Northerners vs. Southerners.Radio Miraya. SPLM welcomes nomination of Abdallah Deng Nhial for President of Sudan Deng obtained 396,139 votes (3.9% of the national vote).Dagne, Theodore S. Sudan The Crisis in Darfur and Status of the North-South Peace Agreement. [Washington, D.C.]: Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, 2010. p. 2 Following the election Adballah alleged that the governing party had rigged the polls.BBC News. Sudan opposition claims video shows election fraud
StateVotes%Khartoum44,1283.25%Northern1,8960.86%River Nile3,1490.90%Red Sea4,8251.11%Kassala7,9671.22%Gedaref1,0960.34%Gezira12,4761.10%Sennar7,3922.05%White Nile6,3501.57%North Kordufan16,4763.02%North Darfur36,74211.52%South Darfur96,03918.80%West Darfur14,7546.21%Blue Nile8,1083.23%South Kordufan16,9084.56%Upper Nile13,3975.80%Jonglei8,7084.46%Unity11,5845.69%Central Equatoria17,7977.39%East Equatoria7,7851.94%West Equatoria8,9635.63%Lakes15,2126.71%Warrap3,0630.60%Western Bahr el Ghazal12,6128.28%Northern Bahr el Ghazal8,0903.23%Out of country7581.11% European Union. Election Observation Mission to Sudan - Executive and Legislative Elections 2010
South Sudanese minister In July 2013, Deng was appointed Minister of Electricity, Dams, Irrigation and Water Resources in the South Sudanese government.reliefweb.int. South Sudan’s Kiir names new cabinet, leaves out VP post A few days later he was appointed Minister of Environment in yet another reshuffle.gurtong.net. President Kiir Reshuffles New Cabinet, Ministries Increased President Salva Kiir dismissed him from his post on November 26, 2013. Deng had been involved in a physical fight with a Member of Parliament the week before.Sudan Tribune. Salva Kiir dismisses environment minister after fight
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