Escaping Bentiu: How Vice President Taban Deng joined the SPLA

JUBA — Before he commanded troops in the battles of Kapoeta, Torit, Bor, and Waat, and long before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005—and later serving as Governor of Unity State and Vice President after Independence—Taban Deng Gai was a schoolteacher in Bentiu trying to outrun a government warrant.

In a vivid, unvarnished address reflecting on the birth of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), Vice President Taban offered a rare look into his early days in the liberation struggle—a journey defined by high-stakes gambles, desperate hunger, river crossings, and the harsh realities of managing the historic Itang Refugee Camp in Ethiopia.

The Escape from Bentiu

The journey began with a calculated risk. Accused by Sudanese security forces of supporting the Anya-Nya II movement, Taban Deng and fellow teacher Peter Parnyang needed a way out of Bentiu. Rather than fleeing directly into the wilderness, they boarded a Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) ferry carrying paratroopers to Nasir, where heavy fighting had broken out.

“Some of us said we will be arrested if they discovered that we are heading to the bush,” Vice President Taban recalled. “But we convinced ourselves this was an opportunity.”

The gamble almost collapsed mid-journey at Lake No when Farouk Gatkuoth—who later served as the SPLM-IO’s Chief Whip under the 2018 peace deal—got into a dispute with Sudanese military officers over a game of dominoes. Reaching Malakal undetected, Gatkuoth decided not to join them any further into the bush. Parnyang also chose to continue on foot for fear of detection, while Taban walked directly into the Ministry of Education to secure official cover.

He requested a formal transfer to Nasir, citing security threats in Bentiu. The District Education Officer—whom General Taban recalled only as Abdelgader—approved the request, unknowingly handing the future commander a signed green light to the frontlines.

Hunger, Hospitality, and the Jikany Waters

The trek toward the Ethiopian border tested physical endurance. When Taban arrived in Nasir and pushed toward Koat village on the outskirts of town, food was scarce. In one village, Taban was forced to eat a crude local food known as ‘Magak’ to survive, but he could barely swallow it because of its bitter taste. By the time he reached the shallow river at Maker-Gagwang village along the border, hunger almost killed him.

“I know how to swim, because we Jikany of the western Nuer know how to swim,” Taban said. “But I almost drowned in that small river because I was so hungry. I had not eaten food.”

At dusk, a young herdsman spotted the exhausted travelers. The youth brought them to his home, where his wife prepared a hot meal. When Taban asked why he stopped strangers on the road, the youth replied that his father, a long-distance traveler who used to journey as far as Khartoum, taught him to always assist wayfarers. In gratitude, Taban parted with a prized possession: a bedsheet given to him by his wife (Man-Nyakuoth) before he left Bentiu.

Life in Itang and the Second Bedsheet

Reaching Bilpham and later Itang Refugee Camp in Ethiopia, conditions were raw. New arrivals survived on muone—the sour, fermented residue from maize-flour alcohol brewing. During an Ethiopian holiday gathering along the riverbank in Bedhe, Taban and his companions used their final asset. They sold Man-Nyakuoth’s second bedsheet to buy traditional beer and fried meat.

“I really enjoyed the fried meat and the beer,” Taban recalled with a smile, noting that years later, as Governor of Unity State, he tried to recreate the dish—only for it to give him a severe stomach ache.

Fixing Itang: Sanitation and Command

After completing military training in Ethiopia, Taban deployed to active operations across Kapoeta, Torit, Bor, and Waat. Following operations in Akobo alongside Dr. John Garang de Mabior, a new assignment emerged. SPLA senior commanders, including James Hoth Mai, recommended Taban to Dr. John Garang to take over administration of Itang Refugee Camp, which was struggling with overwhelming numbers and public health crises.

Garang initially questioned the appointment, asking if Taban’s sharp temper might cause friction. The commanders held firm, calling him “the right man in the right place.” Upon arrival, Taban found Itang in severe disorder. Overcrowding and open defecation—even along the airstrip used by Garang’s helicopter—had sparked deadly outbreaks of measles and dysentery, particularly among young children.

Taban instituted strict public health measures. He ordered residents to dig household latrines and deployed military police under Kuol Deng Aboud to enforce strict camp hygiene.

“I have order,” Taban noted. “I know people would not like it at first, but after I execute my action, people realize later that good work was done. I support somebody who works hard.”

Though the measures faced pushback at the time—including from local farmers whose maize patches were cleared to open access roads—the sanitation drive halted the epidemics and stabilized the camp, preserving thousands of lives during a critical chapter of the liberation movement.

Editor’s Note: Vice President Taban Deng Gai delivered these remarks on Sunday, September 6, 2026, at the Christian Temple Church in Juba during a gathering for the former Itang administrative area.