Who is Deng Arou from What Is the What and what is their importance?

Deng Arou is Valentino's father. He served in the rebel army during the first Sudanese war, but he has since become apolitical. When we first meet Deng, he is the owner of a number of shops, and for the sake of his business, he does his best to get on with everybody. He has many wives; his first wife is Valentino's mother. This might be the reason that Valentino presents himself as his father's favorite child.