Joseph Lagu, a founding figure of South Sudan's struggle, dies at 94
He co-founded Anyanya in 1963 and negotiated the 1972 deal that ended Sudan's first civil war. South Sudan is in mourning.
Juba — Joseph Lagu, one of the central figures in South Sudan's long road to independence, has died at the age of 94. President Salva Kiir declared national mourning until his burial; the funeral date has not been announced.
Lagu was a founding member in 1963 of Anyanya, the first armed movement against the government in Khartoum. Kiir himself served under his command.
In 1972 Lagu led the southern side in the talks that ended Sudan's first civil war and won regional self-government for the south. He later became Sudan's second vice-president and its permanent representative to the United Nations.
Kiir paid tribute to him as a statesman, soldier and diplomat. In a 2011 interview with AFP, the year South Sudan became independent, Lagu recalled that he began the struggle armed with little more than a machete.
Source: Africanews / AFP, 28 October 2026.
