Athiang Manok Athiang, former deputy speaker of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state legislative Assembly, has died, state officials and family members have announced.

"Honourable Athiang has left us at the time this country and the people of Northern Bahr El Ghazal in particular need his service. He passed away yesterday evening," reads a notice shared with community members on Tuesday.

"He always said he couldn't wait for this next adventure to begin and had no fear of dying. Our hearts are broken, but we smile to think of how much he will enjoy the other side...” said former Aweil West County Commissioner Santo Garang on Tuesday.

Relatives and close family members said the legislator died at around 7:30 pm shortly after returning to his home inside Aweil town, capital of the state from Aweil town, from his workplace. The cause of the death remains unclear. Relatives say he complained of difficulty in breathing and sought help from his driver by asking him to call the state parliamentary affairs minister, Daniel Akol Diing, to take him to a nearby clinic but the latter came after he had passed away.

“This is a very sad news to all of us, untimely sadden death of Hon. Athiang Manok which occurred yesterday evening in Aweil at about 7 pm. Athiang did not have any complaint of any sickness until fifteen minutes of his death when he felt with difficulty in breathing.”

“He quickly sent someone to call Daniel Akol Diing to come and rush him to the hospital. When Akol Diing came seven minutes later Athiang was already dead. This is very sad and untimely,” former caretaker governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal Kuel Aguer Kuel said in a statement.