30/07/2026
Date: July 30, 2005
What happened:
Dr. John Garang, First Vice-President of Sudan and President of the Government of Southern Sudan, died when the Ugandan presidential Mi-172 helicopter he was traveling in crashed.
He was returning to Southern Sudan from a 2-day visit with President Yoweri Museveni in Rwakitura, Uganda. The helicopter left Entebbe at about 17:02 hrs with Garang and 12 other people on board, headed for New Site, Southern Sudan.
About an hour into the flight, it crashed in a remote mountain area in southern Sudan due to poor visibility. Everyone on board was killed — Dr. Garang, 6 of his colleagues, and 7 Ugandan crew members.
Why it mattered:
Dr. Garang had just been sworn in as First Vice-President on July 8, 2005. He was the key leader who signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005 that ended the 21-year civil war. He only served 21 days as Vice President before the crash.
The UN Security Council and leaders around the world expressed "profound regret" and called for calm and for continuing his peace work. His death caused major mourning and riots in Khartoum and other cities.
Investigators cited "bad weather and pilot error" as likely causes, but because it happened so soon after the peace deal, there have also been many other theories.
He is remembered as "Dr. John" — a symbol of freedom and the architect of the peace that eventually led to South Sudan’s independence.
