The 42nd Anniversary of May 16th: A Betrayed Dream – South Sudan’s Painful Journey Since Independence
By PaanLuel Wël, Juba, South Sudan
Friday, 16 May 2025 (PW) — The warm glow of independence celebrations on July 9, 2011, few could have imagined the bitter reality that would unfold in South Sudan. As we mark another anniversary of the SPLM/SPLA founding on May 16th, we must confront an uncomfortable truth: the dream that thousands died for has been corrupted almost beyond recognition.
The liberation struggle that began 42 years ago was built on the noble vision of a prosperous, united South Sudan, a “Land of Great Abundance” as our anthem proudly proclaims. Today, that vision lies in tatters, betrayed by the very leaders entrusted with its realization.
When Dr. John Garang de Mabior died in a helicopter crash just 21 days after signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, many feared the worst. History has proven those fears justified. The founding father’s absence created a vacuum that was filled not by visionary leadership but by opportunism and greed.
Where our fallen heroes and heroines envisioned development, we have witnessed systematic looting. The nation’s oil wealth, which should have built hospitals, schools, and roads, has instead become the private property of a privileged few. Gold mines in Kapoeta and Western Bahr el Ghazal operate in shadows, their profits disappearing into private accounts rather than the national treasury. These resources were meant to be the foundation of our prosperity, not vehicles for personal enrichment.
The physical state of our nation tells the story of this betrayal. Nearly fourteen years after independence, most states remain disconnected from each other and from Juba. Even the SPLM National Secretariat, the headquarters of the very movement that delivered our independence, operates from temporary structures. Our healthcare system exists in name only, with patients forced to pay for treatment in underequipped facilities staffed by underpaid workers.
Most shameful of all is the treatment of our military, the SSPDF, successor to the SPLA whose anniversary we commemorate. The very soldiers who secured our freedom now go months without salaries. Civil servants fare little better, receiving payments so infrequently that their positions amount to volunteer work. Meanwhile, ordinary citizens struggle with skyrocketing prices for basic necessities, food, transportation, housing, and even drinking water.
The current “Revitalized Government” has become nothing more than an elaborate mechanism for dividing spoils under the guise of peace implementation. The Revitalized Peace Agreement, rather than delivering stability and prosperity, has become another vehicle for resource extraction. Ceaseless plethora of “Peace Talks” promise more of the same, diplomatic theater masking the continued drain on national resources.
Those who dare speak of reform or accountability find themselves labeled enemies of the state. The system actively resists the very changes needed to fulfill our independence promises. South Sudan today appears to be a nation adrift, with positions of power occupied by figures who lack either the will or the vision to govern effectively.
This betrayal cuts deepest because it dishonors the ultimate sacrifice made by so many. The blood of our martyrs has indeed “cemented our foundation,” but upon that foundation, the current leadership has built not a nation but a kleptocracy.
As we reflect on the 42nd anniversary of the SPLM/SPLA’s founding, we must ask ourselves: Have our liberation heroes died in vain? The current trajectory suggests a painful answer. Yet within that pain lies the seed of renewal. The spirit that animated our independence struggle, courage, sacrifice, and vision, remains alive in the hearts of ordinary South Sudanese.
The leaders who betrayed our national dream may have forgotten the values of the liberation struggle, but the people have not. It is time to reclaim the promise of South Sudan, not through more violence but through an unwavering commitment to accountability, transparency, and genuine nation-building.
Our fallen heroes and heroines deserve nothing less. And so do the malnourished children, the unpaid teachers, the neglected soldiers, and all citizens living far below the poverty line in a land meant to be of “great abundance.”
South Sudan can still fulfill its promise, but only if we confront the bitter reality of its betrayal and commit ourselves anew to the ideals for which so many gave their lives.
If you want to submit an opinion article, commentary, or news analysis, please email it to the editor: info@paanluelwel.com or paanluel2011@gmail.com. PaanLuel Wël Media (PW) website does reserve the right to edit or reject material before publication. Please include your full name, a short biography, email address, city, and the country you are writing from.
About Post Author
The very reality about this nation told