Sarah Nyanath Elijah Yong, Minister of Culture, Museums and National Heritage. Photo: Eye Radio/Moses Awan

The Minister of Culture has called on South Sudanese to mark Martyrs’ Day through peaceful acts of remembrance, despite the absence of a government budget for official celebrations this year.

Martyrs’ Day is a national public holiday observed annually on 30 July to honour the men and women who lost their lives during South Sudan’s struggle for independence.

Speaking at a press conference in Juba ahead of the commemoration, the Minister of Culture, Museums and National Heritage, Sarah Nyanath Elijah Yong, said the importance of national commemorations should not depend on the availability of funding but on the country’s gratitude to those who sacrificed for South Sudan’s freedom.

“The observance of our national commemorative days must never be measured by the availability of financial resources. Their significance is defined not by expenditure, but by the depth of our national gratitude, collective memory, and enduring patriotism,” she said.

Minister Nyanath encouraged citizens, religious institutions, schools, civil society organisations, and local authorities across the country to observe the day through candlelight vigils, prayers, moments of silence, and other peaceful acts of remembrance.

“The Ministry acknowledges that no specific budgetary allocation has been provided for official state-sponsored commemorative activities this year. This reflects prevailing economic realities, competing national priorities, and ongoing preparations for the forthcoming national elections,” she added.

Martyrs’ Day also marks the anniversary of the death of liberation leader Dr John Garang de Mabior, who died in a helicopter crash on 30 July 2005.

This year’s commemoration marks 21 years since Dr Garang’s death, just three weeks after he was sworn in as the First Vice President of Sudan following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended the civil war that began in 1983.

According to the official account, Dr Garang was returning from Uganda when the helicopter provided by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni crashed in Eastern Equatoria State because of poor visibility.