Today in History: John Garang Laid to Rest

What the report says

On August 6, 2005, Dr. John Garang de Mabior was laid to rest in Juba, Sudan, a week after a helicopter crash that killed him and seven Ugandan military and civilian crew members. According to Nile Post’s history piece, the accident involved a Ugandan presidential helicopter and became a deeply felt tragedy in Uganda as well as in Sudan.

The funeral drew tens of thousands of mourners and senior leaders from across Africa and beyond. Garang’s coffin was taken through the streets of Juba before an open-air service at All Saints Cathedral, while crowds displayed green leaves as a sign of mourning. Among those present were Presidents Yoweri Museveni, Omar al-Bashir, Thabo Mbeki and Mwai Kibaki, along with other officials.

The report says Garang’s death raised fears for the recently signed Comprehensive Peace Agreement, but Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Garang’s successor, Salva Kiir, publicly backed the peace process. Garang’s widow, Rebecca Nyandeng, called on people to protect his legacy. He was later buried in a specially built mausoleum in Juba, which the article describes as a national landmark.

Nile Post also notes Uganda declared national mourning, lowered flags and held memorial events for both Garang and the Ugandan victims. In Parliament and public tributes, Garang was remembered as a major African revolutionary figure whose death came before he could see the full outcome of the peace efforts he helped shape.