Joseph Garang should not be confused with John Garang.
Joseph Ukel Garang Wel (1932 – 28 July 1971) was a southern Sudanese politician.
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 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.[1] [2]
He was a member of the Sudanese Communist Party, and served as Minister of Southern Affairs in the Sudanese Government.[3]
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.[4]