{"id":49661,"date":"2026-11-13T15:24:13","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T13:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=49661"},"modified":"2026-11-13T15:31:05","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T13:31:05","slug":"farewell-south-sudan-lays-liberator-gen-joseph-lagu-to-rest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/13\/farewell-south-sudan-lays-liberator-gen-joseph-lagu-to-rest\/","title":{"rendered":"Farewell: South Sudan lays Liberator Gen. Joseph Lagu to rest"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lodu William Odiya<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

South Sudan today bids farewell to General Joseph Lagu Yanga, one of the country’s most prominent liberation heroes, as citizens, government officials, and dignitaries gather at the Freedom Square in Juba for his final burial on the eastern side of Pope Francis\u2019 Pavilion.<\/p>\n

The state burial marks the end of an era for a veteran military and political leader whose contribution to the Anyanya liberation movement placed him among the influential figures in South Sudan’s long struggle for freedom and self-determination.<\/p>\n

President Salva Kiir Mayardit is expected to join senior government officials, political leaders, religious representatives, diplomats and members of the public in paying their final respects to the late general.<\/p>\n

Friday has been declared a public holiday to allow citizens across the country to participate in the national farewell and honour the legacy of the veteran leader.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, High-Level Committee spokesperson Ambassador John Andruga Duku called on South Sudanese to turn out in large numbers, describing the occasion as an opportunity to recognise General Lagu’s historical contribution to the country.<\/p>\n

Duku said members of the public were expected to assemble at the designated ceremony venue between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., ahead of the body’s expected arrival from the church at approximately 9:00 a.m.<\/p>\n

According to Duku, the requiem service would be held at All Saints Cathedral, beginning at 6:00 a.m., before the body is taken to the designated burial site east of the Pope Francis Pavilion in Juba.<\/p>\n

The official state funeral rites are also scheduled for November 17 at the Parliament Hall, where national leaders and other dignitaries are expected to gather to commemorate his life and legacy.<\/p>\n

General Lagu occupies a significant place in South Sudan’s history, particularly through his leadership in the Anyanya liberation movement, which fought against successive Sudanese governments in pursuit of self-determination.<\/p>\n

His military and political involvement contributed to shaping the country’s liberation history and inspired generations who participated in the struggle for freedom.<\/p>\n

Beyond his role in the liberation movement, Lagu also served in political leadership, making contributions to the wider political developments that shaped South Sudan’s journey.<\/p>\n

His passing marks the loss of a generation of leaders whose experiences were closely tied to the country’s difficult path to independence.<\/p>\n

As South Sudanese gather to lay him to rest, the occasion is not only a moment of mourning but also an opportunity to reflect on patriotism, unity, peace, and national responsibility.<\/p>\n

General Lagu will be remembered as a courageous liberation hero, visionary leader and peacemaker who dedicated much of his life to the struggle for freedom and the future of South Sudan.<\/p>\n

His final burial brings together a nation to honour a man whose name remains part of its historical journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lodu William Odiya South Sudan today bids farewell to General Joseph Lagu Yanga, one of the country’s most prominent liberation heroes, as citizens, government officials, and dignitaries gather at the Freedom Square in Juba for his final burial on the eastern side of Pope Francis\u2019 Pavilion. The state burial[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":49662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-news","category-politics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The-late-general-Joseph-Lagu-Yanga-courtesy-photo.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49661"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49666,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49661\/revisions\/49666"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}