Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior

Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior
Nyandeng in 2006
Fourth Vice President of South Sudan
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 February 2020[1]
President	Salva Kiir Mayardit
Preceded by	Position established
Advisor for the President of South Sudan
In office 2011–2013
Minister of Roads and Transport of Southern Sudan[2]
In office 2005–2007
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Office abolished
First Lady of Southern Sudan
In office 9 July 2005 – 30 July 2005
President	John Garang
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Mary Ayen Mayardit Aluel William Nyuon Bany
Second Lady of Sudan
In office 9 January 2005 – 30 July 2005
Vice President	John Garang
Succeeded by	Mary Ayen Mayardit Aluel William Nyuon Bany
Personal details
Born	(1956-07-15) July 15, 1956 (age 68) Bor, Republic of Sudan[2]
Nationality	South Sudanese
Spouse	John Garang
Children	Akuol de Mabior

Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior (born 15 July 1956)^[2] is a South Sudanese politician who currently serves as the 4th Vice President of South Sudan.^[1][3][4] She is also the head of the Gender and Youth Cluster.^[5]

She served as the Minister of Roads and Transport for the autonomous government of Southern Sudan,^[6] and as an advisor for the President of South Sudan on gender and human rights from 2007 to 2014.^[2] She is the widow of John Garang, the late first Vice President of Sudan and the President of the Government of South Sudan, and the mother of Akuol de Mabior.^[7][8][9]

She was a native from the Dinka tribe of Twic East County of South Sudan, born on 15 July 1956 in Bor Town. In 1986 she travelled to Cuba for military training.^[2]

After the death of Dr. John Garang, General Salva Kiir took over his positions and became the first Vice President of Sudan and the President of the Government of South Sudan and commander in chief of SPLM/A. General Kiir appointed Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior as the Minister of Roads and Transport for the Government of South Sudan.

She continued to be a strong advocate for the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed by Dr. John Garang before his death on 30 July 2005. She continued to support the implementation of the peace process until the South attained independence on 9 July 2011. During that same year when her husband died Madam Rebecca visited the United States and met with President George W. Bush. She offered a message of appreciation for the American involvement in the quest for peace in South Sudan. In 2009 President Obama continued the efforts with Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Rice to see that the peace agreement is implemented in Sudan.

Madam Rebecca also received an interview by NPR. She spoke of her commitment to the liberation of South Sudan while she also respects the necessity of a united Sudan under the New Sudan Vision created by Dr John Garang in 1983. She visited Grinnell College and Iowa State University, the Iowa universities where her late husband completed his education before the Second Sudanese Civil War broke out in 1983.^[10] Late Dr. John Garang and his wife Rebecca have six children who are active supporters of peace and stability in the new Republic of South Sudan.

According to the Sudan Tribune, Nyandeng met with South Sudanese president Salva Kiir Mayardit on 22 December 2013 to discuss security in the wake of the 2013 South Sudanese political crisis.^[11]

In 2024, Nyandeng, acknowledged the government's failure to provide essential services to its citizens and support the veterans of the liberation struggle.

"This one is going to our President Salva Kiir. We should support our veterans when they are still alive so that they can take care of their families"

— VP Nyandeng

She expressed doubts about the re-election of many leaders, including herself, due to their failure to meet the people’s expectations. Nyandeng also called upon the spirits of fallen martyrs to help bring peace back to the country.^[12]

Rebecca Nyandeng has expressed dissatisfaction with the way the government of Sudan in Khartoum implements the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). During the years of war, she joined the Southern army known today as Sudan People's Liberation Army and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. She is known for her support for the right of self-determination for South Sudan although she has nothing against the united Sudan under a democratic rule of law. Millions of Southern Sudanese have been affected by the war between the North and South Sudan which has a long history from the time the British left Sudan in 1956. As a result of war over 2 million lives in South Sudan have been lost and four million South Sudanese are both internally displaced and externally living in other countries as refugees. After the arrival of peace in South Sudan, repatriation process has been made by the United Nations.^[13]

In 2022, her daughter Akoul produced a documentary called No Simple Way Home, on her family and the work to create a better South Sudan.^[14][15][16]

• Interview with NPR
• Sudanese Online website