Ex-FVP Machar Pays Tribute to Joseph Lagu, Hails Him as an Iconic Leader

By Awan Achiek

Former First Vice President Riek Machar on Wednesday paid tribute to the late veteran politician Joseph Lagu Yanga, describing him as an iconic leader whose contributions to peace and self-determination in Southern Sudan would always be remembered.

Lagu, a retired general and former rebel commander who led the Anyanya movement during Sudan’s first civil war, later served in senior government positions, including as Sudan’s vice-president. He died in Juba on Tuesday at the age of 94.

In a condolence message delivered during a court session on Wednesday, Machar said his detention made it difficult for him to convey his condolences following Lagu’s death. He praised the late leader for his leadership and commitment to the welfare of the people.

“Well, I am in a cell, so I do not know how best to convey my condolences on the passing of a great leader, Hon. Joseph Lagu,” Machar said.

Machar described Lagu as a selfless leader who was not driven by greed for power, praising his decision to hand over leadership to someone who had not originally been part of the liberation movement.

“He was a great leader who brought peace and self-determination to Southern Sudan. He was not a selfish leader nor greedy for power—that is why he left leadership to another person who was not originally part of the movement and liberation,” Machar said.

He further described Lagu as an iconic figure whose dedication to the welfare of the people of South Sudan had secured him a lasting place in the country’s history.

“He is a true, iconic leader known for his dedication to the welfare of the people of South Sudan. He will always be remembered. May his soul rest well in peace,” he said.

Lagu was a prominent figure in Southern Sudan’s political and liberation history, particularly for his leadership of the Anyanya movement and his role in the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement, which ended Sudan’s first north-south civil war and granted the southern region regional autonomy.

Born on November 21, 1931, in Momokwe, in the Madi area of present-day Eastern Equatoria State, Lagu trained as a military officer before defecting from the Sudanese army in 1963 to join the southern rebellion.

In 1968, he became leader of the Southern Sudan Liberation Movement and commander-in-chief of its armed wing, Anyanya. Under his leadership, the movement negotiated the Addis Ababa Agreement with the government of President Gaafar Nimeiry in 1972, bringing an end to a conflict that had begun in 1955.

Following the agreement, Lagu returned to the Sudanese army and rose to the rank of lieutenant-general. He later served as president of the High Executive Council of the autonomous Southern Region from 1978 to 1979 and as Sudan’s second vice-president from 1982 to 1985.

The Addis Ababa Agreement provided Southern Sudan with a decade of regional self-government. However, Nimeiry abrogated the agreement in 1983, a move that contributed to renewed conflict in the south.