Joseph Garang

Joseph Ukel Garang Wel (1932 – 28 July 1971) was a southern Sudanese politician in the 1960s.

Education and career
Garang attended St. Antony's Bussere (1944–1948) and Rumbek Secondary School (1949–1953). In 1957, he became the first South Sudanese male to obtain a law degree upon his graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Khartoum in Sudan. Shortly after graduation, he declined an offer to become a chief justice. Instead, Garang wanted to practice as an attorney and focus on his political career.

Political involvement
He was a member of the Sudanese Communist Party, and served as Minister of Southern Affairs in the Sudanese Government.

In July 1971, Garang and several others were executed after being convicted as conspirators in the short-lived coup that toppled the regime of President Gaafar Nimeiry.