Sudan’s First Vice-President and President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Dr. John Garang de Mabior, arrived in Uganda on July 29, 2005, for high-level talks with President Yoweri Museveni aimed at strengthening regional peace and security following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
Garang was received at Entebbe International Airport by then Vice-President Prof. Gilbert Bukenya before proceeding to President Museveni’s country home in Rwakitura.
The leaders discussed the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, closer security cooperation between Uganda and Southern Sudan, and joint efforts to end insurgencies affecting both countries, particularly the activities of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) along the border.
After concluding the visit, Garang boarded President Museveni’s Ugandan presidential Mi-172 helicopter on July 30 for the return journey to New Site (New Cush) in Southern Sudan.
The helicopter disappeared during deteriorating weather conditions before crashing into the Imatong Mountains near the Uganda-Sudan border. All 14 people on board were killed.
Garang’s death came barely three weeks after he had assumed office as Sudan’s First Vice-President under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, sending shockwaves across Sudan and the region.
The announcement of his death triggered days of violent riots in Khartoum and several southern towns as rumours of assassination spread among supporters.
A joint investigation conducted by Uganda, Sudan, Russia, the United States and helicopter manufacturer Kazan concluded in 2006 that the crash resulted from pilot error and controlled flight into mountainous terrain in poor weather, ruling out sabotage.
Despite the official findings, many South Sudanese have continued to question the circumstances surrounding Garang’s death.
Following the tragedy, Salva Kiir Mayardit succeeded Garang as leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), a transition that eventually led to South Sudan’s independence in 2011.
