[originaltext] John Garang was a towering figure in Sudanese politics ever s

John Garang was a towering figure in Sudanese politics ever since he went to stop an initial southern army rebel lion in 1983. But instead of stopping the violent organised action, he joined the rebels. And just as Yasser Arafat came to stand for Palestinian aspirations, Mr. Garang came to represent the southern eager for freedom from northern control.
    Garang, who died in a helicopter crash in July, 2005, was the first leader of the semiautonomous south. He had led the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and arranged the January peace agreement with the Sudanese government that ended more than 20 years of civil war. That doesn’t mean that he was absolutely loved or realized the people’s eager wish but was under international pressure.
    John Garang ran the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement that he founded with an iron hand. He frequently used cruel methods to keep control. And he kept all key decisions in his own hands, which may have served the movement well during the long years of war, but were little suited to the new politics of peace.
    Garang’s representative who most likely to get his job, Salva Kiir, commanded the movement’s military wing. He has now called a meeting of the leadership to consider their next move. Commentators say Mr. Kiir is a quiet man who could be more of a unifier across the South than Mr. Garang. But that is in the future. For the moment, across the vast regions of southern Sudan damaged by long years of fighting, people are in sorrow with little hope of peace.