Parliament mourns passing of two lawmakers

2026-03-05 - 11:07

JUBA, South Sudan (Eye Radio) — The Transitional National Legislative Assembly is in mourning following the announcement of the deaths of two members of parliament. Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba officially informed the house of the passing of Hon. Deng Chol Deng and Hon. Hassan Zaid during the Wednesday parliamentary session. Hon. Deng Chol Deng was an elected member of the SPLM party representing Renk in Upper Nile State. He passed away while the Speaker was on official leave. Hon. Hassan Zaid represented the SPLM-IO for Western Bahr el Ghazal State. He passed away this past Saturday in Wau. Addressing the assembly, Speaker Nunu called for a suspension of proceedings to honor the contributions of the deceased lawmakers to the nation. “I would like to pay tribute to two members we have lost during this budget session, starting with Hon. Deng Chol Deng, elected member from SPLM, Renk, Northern Upper Nile, and Hon. Hassan Zaid from SPLM-IO, Western Bahr el Ghazal State. He passed away last Saturday,” Wau,” Speaker Nunu said. “On behalf of the national legislature, I would like to convey our sincere condolences on the passing of the two members.” Following the announcement, the Speaker led the members of the national legislature in a one-minute silence as a mark of respect for their former colleagues. The deaths were announced as the parliament is currently engaged in the second and third readings of the 2025–2026 national budget. No further details regarding funeral arrangements were released at the time of the announcement.