Aguil Chut-Deng

Aguil Chut Deng Acouth (1967 – ), also known as Aguil de'Chut Deng or Aguil Chut-Deng, was a South Sudanese revolutionary and activist. She was a member of "Katiba Banat", the women's battalion of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), during the Second Sudanese Civil War.

As a refugee in Australia, she founded the Sudanese Australian International Activist Group, and took part in rallies to raise awareness of the conflict. After the independence of South Sudan in 2011, she founded South Sudanese Women Advocacy for Peace. She also focused on issues faced by South Sudanese refugees in Australia.

Early life Aguil Chut Deng was born in 1967 (Some sources reported 1964 She was the second of seven children born to Dinka parents.) Her father Chut Deng Achouth had studied medical sciences and worked at a government hospital in Khartoum. Her mother Achol Aguin Majok, a homemaker, was illiterate. Around 1979, the family moved from Khartoum to Juba when her father was reassigned to the hospital there. In Juba, they all lived in a one-room dwelling.

In 1983, her father died. She became a member of "Katiba Banat", the all-female battalion, where her nom de guerre was "Nyanpakou". She provided medical support to the SPLA and learned how to fight in preparation for attacks. As she saw that Australians were largely unaware of the Sudanese war, Deng began speaking publicly. In 2000, she moved to Canberra to lobby the government to take more South Sudanese refugees, She traveled to the U.S., the U.K., and Germany to speak about South Sudan. Back in Australia, she founded the Sudanese Australian International Activist Group to connect refugees to local communities and their government. Besides informing the public about the war, the Group helped refugees resettle and find jobs. In recognition of her work, she was nominated to the SPLM National Liberation Council as the representative of the diaspora in Australia and Oceania. and founded South Sudanese Women Advocacy for Peace. She participated in the IGAD-led peace process.

In an interview with the Special Broadcasting Service released on 30 April 2022, Deng spoke of corruption allegations against former government ministers.

Death On 26 April 2022, Deng left her house in Brisbane for her daily exercise, but did not return home. A funeral was held in Australia on 28 May. in June 2022, where she was buried in Heroes' Cemetery.