SPLA/SSPDF statue lies below the Jebel mountain in Juba.

Civil society activists are calling on the national government to recognize the heroes of Torit Mutiny by awarding their families, and ensuring the day is commemorated nationally this year.

In 1955, Southern Sudanese forces in the Sudanese army mutinied against the largely dominated Sudanese army.

The move was in protest against the political and military domination of the Sudanese regime.

It was also in protest to the unilaterally decision by the British and the Egyptians to place the administration of the Southern region under the dominance of the northern Sudanese.

The Torit mutiny inspired the war for liberation by the SPLM/SPLA in 1983.

Read history: https://www.eyeradio.org/remembering-torit-mutiny-62/

President Salva Kiir declared August 18^th every year as the Veterans Day.

Recently, Kiir awarded military leaders who have contributed to the liberation struggle in South Sudan.

But Sworo Charles – a youth leader from Yei River state who just visited some of the grave sites for veterans in Torit said the dead heroes have not been buried in a decent place.

“We really need to reflect on our past because we want to move forward. We need to know the values that our people stood for,” Sworo said.

Sworo called on the government to construct a memorial shrine dedicated to the martyrs of all the liberation struggles -dating back to 1955.

“We also visited some mass graves were the Arabs were also buried, they had decent burials compared to our people who were not buried decently. And with the resources we have up to now, we are not thinking of giving our late people decent burials,” he said.

Meanwhile, Augustino Deng – the Executive Director of South Sudan Youth for Peace and Development Organization said the Torit Mutiny day has not been commemorated since 2013.

“It is an important day because this is where the history of this country started from,” Deng said, adding that honoring the first veterans and their families will show that the country has not forgotten their sacrifice.

The last celebrations of the Veterans Day was celebrated under the theme; “Veterans; the founders of our freedom.”

No other event to commemorate this day has been officially held.

Torit state officials have often asked people to mark the day at “individual level,” because the government “has no funds to organize a public function.”

“We realized that there are still people who come from these families who are not happy, they feel like -why is it that the legacy of their people who died is not being respected yearly?” Deng said.

The mutiny on August 18, 1955 led to the formation of the Anyanya movement, which fought the Khartoum government until the signing of the Addis Ababa Peace Agreement in 1972. It was led by Joseph Lagu.

Lagu who led the Anyanya 1 war and Abel Alier who headed the first Southern Regional government are both still present.

Lagu, currently outside the country, became a Presidential Advisor after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, but left after violence erupted in Juba and across the country in 2013.

Abel Alier is the current Co-Chair of the National Dialogue Steering Committee, a presidential initiative meant provides South Sudanese the opportunity to discuss the current predicaments, and the future of South Sudan.