Brown Akoon Yel, the young man whose photos went viral 3 years ago after being termed as “the youngest South Sudanese general” has died on Wednesday.
Akoon who was a member of Paul Malong’s rebel group SSUF/A before defecting to SSPDF in 2019 died in Agok, Abyei Administrator Area after a short illness.
A source told us that Akoon fell sick in Wunrok, Twic County in Warrap State this week and was transferred to a clinic at Agok where he succumbed to the illness.
Many of his supporters and friends including popular musician Larson Angok have mourned Akoon’s death on social media since the news of his death broke on Wednesday night.
He is described by many as friendly and humble. After defecting to SSPDF in 2019, Akoon retired to his native town of Aweil where live with his wife and two kids.
He ran his popular Facebook page “Brown Akoon Yel” which he regularly updated with news and photos of his personal life.
His page has a huge following of 10,000 followers. Akoon’s photo wearing a rank of Brigadier General went viral in 2018. Many social media users wondered how a young-looking man could have obtained such a high military rank at his age.
