Today in History: John Garang Leaves Uganda on His Final Journey

What the report says

Nile Post reports in a “Today in History” retrospective that July 30 marks the day in 2005 when Dr John Garang de Mabior left Uganda on the flight that would become his last. Garang, then Sudan’s First Vice President and President of the autonomous Government of Southern Sudan, had been in Uganda for a two-day private visit with President Yoweri Museveni at Rwakitura. He departed Entebbe in a Ugandan presidential Mi-172 helicopter headed for New Cush in Southern Sudan.

According to the account, the aircraft later crossed the Imatong Mountains near the Uganda-Sudan border in difficult weather, including rain, cloud and poor visibility, before contact was lost. A search by Ugandan and Sudanese authorities followed. The wreckage was found on August 1, and Garang, six members of his delegation and seven Ugandan crew members were confirmed dead.

The article places Garang’s death in the context of his central role in Sudan’s politics and armed struggle. Born in 1945, he founded and led the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement from 1983 through a 22-year war against the Sudanese government. He was closely associated with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in January 2005, which ended the war and created a framework for Southern Sudan’s autonomy and a future referendum.

Nile Post notes that later investigations by Ugandan and Sudanese authorities, with international expert support, attributed the crash to controlled flight into mountainous terrain in poor weather and found no evidence of sabotage. Garang’s deputy, Salva Kiir Mayardit, succeeded him in the SPLM and Southern Sudan leadership. South Sudan later became independent in 2011 under the CPA process Garang helped negotiate.