William Nyuon Bany

William Nyuon Bany Machar (1930 – 13 January 1996) was a Southern Sudanese politician who was also one of the founders of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). He was appointed third in command after John Garang and Kerubino Kuanyin Bol. While he worked as a commander of the SPLA he lived in Itang, a small Ethiopian town in the Gambela Region.

Early life Bany was a Nuer from Greater Fangak, South Sudan. He spoke Nuer, Arabic, Amharic, and some English.

Army life When war broke out in a southern town of Bor, Bany served as a major in the Sudanese army in Ayot. He served as a commander in Sudan for a long time before he started a rebellion in 1983.

Bany and Kerubino Kwanyin Bol were founding members of SPLA, before John Garang joined them. Bany was appointed the 3rd high-ranking Commander after Bol. Commander Salva Kiir was the 4th. Bany was also the Chief of Staff, The SPLA-Nasir also raised the idea of an independent south (whereas Garang wanted unity). Fighting continued throughout 1993 and 1994.

Back to SPLA In early 1995, Machar (of the Nasir faction) split to form the SSIM, Southern Sudan Independence Movement, formally launched on 11–12 March 1995. Bany was expelled from SPLA-United for his alleged collaboration with Khartoum (government of Sudan), at which he supported a pro-Garang stance within the SSIM – but later both groups changed to support unity anyway. Machar led an anti-SPLA faction, while Bany led a pro-SPLA faction within the SSIM.

In April 1996, SSIM and SPLA-United signed an agreement with the Sudanese government which endorsed the current boundaries of the country, i.e., no independent south.

Family and legacy Bany is survived by a number of widows and children (most of whom live in the United States of America ). One of his widows, Abuoch, was a main speaker during Martyr's Day celebrations in Juba in 2012, in the presence of Salva Kiir.

Salva Kiir married one of Bany's daughters, Aluel William Nyuon Bany, in a traditional wedding around 2004. This later caused public strife between her and Kiir's eldest daughter, Christina Adut Nardes.

One of his daughters is Nyadol Nyuon, prominent lawyer and human rights advocate in Melbourne, Australia.

One of his daughters, Nyagoa Nyuon, returned to South Sudan after spending about 10 years in the US. In 2013, she co-founded The William Nyuon Bany Foundation, which supports programs fostering children's education and focuses on "improving the health and livelihoods of the communities and building the leadership capacity youth for a prosperous country".

A conference hall in the South Sudan State House was named after Bany.