Culture Ministry Declares SPLA Day Celebrations
B Kidega Livingstone
The Ministry of Culture, Museums and National Heritage has announced that this year’s SPLA Day will be commemorated on May 16, 2026.
Officials described the 43rd anniversary as a historic national occasion marking the beginning of South Sudan’s liberation struggle. SPLA Day is observed annually on May 16 to commemorate the formation of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in 1983, following a mutiny in Bor that sparked the long liberation war.
Speaking to journalists during a press briefing, the Minister of Culture, Museums and National Heritage, Sarah Nyanath Elijah Yong, said the government has not allocated a budget for the celebrations. She noted that communities will instead lead the commemorations through voluntary contributions, as was common before independence.
“At this stage, no central government budget has been approved, and all activities are encouraged to be community-driven, voluntary, and locally organized,” Nyanath said.
She added that to ensure nationwide coordination, the ministry has engaged all ten states and three administrative areas, with directives issued to establish coordination focal points down to the Boma level to enable broad-based participation across the country.
According to the minister, the ministry has adopted a decentralized, grassroots, and people-centered approach to the commemoration. She said this approach revives traditional practices during the liberation struggle, where communities led activities through shared remembrance, storytelling, and cultural expression.
SPLA Day honors the resilience, sacrifice, and unity of the people of South Sudan throughout different phases of the liberation struggle—from early resistance movements such as Anya-Nya I (1955–1972), through Anya-Nya II and the SPLM/A struggle (1983–2005), to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and eventual independence in 2011.
