16/05/2026
MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL FORUM ON THE 43ND ANNIVERSARY OF 16 MAY
Fellow Youth and all Citizens of South Sudan,
First, allow me to greet you all in the name of our Martyrs. On behalf of National Forum, I am writing to you all reminding you that today, 16 May 2026, we stand together to remember and honor the 43nd anniversary of 16 May 1983. On this day, our young officers and soldiers rose against injustice, marginalization, and the denial of dignity. Their defiance gave birth to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and Army (SPLM/A) and ignited a struggle that united our diverse communities under one cause: the right of the people of South Sudan to live free, equal, and in peace.
Secondly, the road that began on 16 May was not easy. It was a road paid for with the lives of over two million South Sudanese, with millions more displaced, families torn apart, and generations robbed of their childhood. Yet from that sacrifice emerged the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 and, ultimately, the birth of our Republic on 9 July 2011. We are a nation born of resilience, and we owe it to those who fell to ensure their sacrifice was not in vain.
Thirdly, the lessons of 16 May remain urgent for us today. The heroes and heroines of that day drew strength from unity, bringing together 64 tribes of South Sudan under one banner. Their message was clear: when we stand as one people, no force can defeat us, and when we allow division to take root, we weaken ourselves. True patriotism was demonstrated not in words, but in service and sacrifice for the next generation. Their struggle reminds us that peace and independence are not final destinations, but responsibilities we must renew every day through dialogue, justice, and accountable leadership.
Fourthly, to our youth, we are the custodians of this vision. We are the generation that must turn the dream of a New Sudan into the reality of a united, peaceful, and prosperous South Sudan.
This means rejecting hate speech and tribal mobilization, choosing dialogue over violence, and building bridges across our communities. It means creating opportunities through farming, entrepreneurship, education, and service, so that no young person is left idle and vulnerable to recruitment into conflict. It means holding leaders to account while also taking personal responsibility for the future we want.
Finally, on this solemn day, let us honor our martyrs by living the values they died for. Let us prove that the generation born after the war is the generation that will secure peace and development for good. Let every action we take from today forward be a contribution to national unity, to healing, and to the dignity of every South Sudanese citizen.
May God rest the souls of our martyrs in eternal peace, and may God bless the Republic of South Sudan.
THE END!
