‘Iteng is what made S. Sudan’: VP Taban moots national commemoration of Iteng

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By Matik Kueth

The Vice President for the Infrastructure Cluster, Taban Deng, has called for the commemoration of Iteng to be elevated into a national event, saying the former refugee settlement played a wider role in South Sudan’s liberation struggle and political history.

Deng, who spoke at an event organized by the Christian Temple Church in Juba on Sunday to commemorate Iteng, said the site should not be remembered solely as a place associated with the Nuer community, arguing that its historical significance extended to the wider South Sudanese struggle.

“It was not just a refugee camp. It was a small Sudan. Many of you may not know, John Garang used to have his good days, his good hours to plan for South Sudan, for war and for Sudan when he was in Iteng. For those who were in Iteng, you recall that even Muhammad Wardi visited Iteng. That was a big event. It was not a simple event,” Deng stated.

Deng said Iteng served as more than a place of refuge, describing it as a political and strategic center where discussions about Sudan and the future of South Sudan took place.

“Iteng is what made South Sudan,” he said, while recalling the role the settlement played during the liberation struggle.

He urged the organizers to consult senior national figures, including First Lady Ayen Mayardit and Rebecca Garang, Vice President for Youth and Gender Cluster, before deciding how future commemorations should be organized.

Deng noted that such consultations could help transform the event from a community commemoration into a national occasion.

“We want to do this function as a national function, because Iteng was not representing the Nuer community. Iteng was a small Sudan,” he stressed.

The Vice President also backed calls for the event to be held annually, saying continued remembrance would help preserve the history of people who lived in Iteng and the wider political and military activities associated with the settlement.

Iteng, commonly known as Itang, was a major refugee settlement in western Ethiopia that hosted large numbers of Sudanese refugees during the civil war.

It became an important gathering point for South Sudanese communities during the liberation struggle, with the camp and surrounding area linked to political mobilization, humanitarian activities and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army.