Thousands gathered at the national stadium in Juba on Saturday as South Sudan commemorated the 43rd anniversary of the formation of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), a movement that played a central role in the country’s fight for independence.
The creation of the SPLA in 1983 marked the beginning of Sudan’s second civil war, a conflict that eventually led to South Sudan gaining independence in July 2011.
This year’s commemoration was particularly significant as it was the first to be held since the outbreak of the 2013 conflict between the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the SPLM in opposition.
Speaking during the celebrations, President Salva Kiir Mayardit paid tribute to the fighters who launched the liberation struggle.
“On this day, we remember the brave forces of Battalion 105, who fired the first bullet and began our revolution,” Kiir told the crowd.
He also honoured those who died during the decades-long struggle for independence, describing them as martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the nation.
The anniversary celebrations come at a time of rising tensions in the country, following renewed clashes between government troops and forces loyal to Kiir’s long-time rival and former First Vice-President Riek Machar. The violence has raised concerns over the possibility of a return to civil war.
South Sudan People’s Defence Forces chief Santino Deng Wol used the occasion to call for peace and stability.
“We do not want to hear bullets anywhere,” he said, assuring citizens that the army would work to maintain security and protect the country’s borders.
The civil war fought between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar from 2013 to 2018 ended with a peace agreement that led to the formation of a unity government. However, relations between the two sides have deteriorated over the past year.
Machar was detained in Juba in March last year and placed under house arrest by government forces before being suspended from his position as vice-president.
In September, he was charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity over allegations linked to a militia attack in March that reportedly killed 250 soldiers and a general.
Machar’s party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army In Opposition (SPLM/A-IO), has rejected the accusations, calling them a politically motivated campaign against its leader.
