SPLA Day commemorates the 1983 founding of the SPLA, the rebel army that fought for South Sudan's freedom, eventually leading to the country's independence in 2011.

When is SPLA Day?

SPLA Day in South Sudan is celebrated every year on May 16.

The following is the list of SPLA Day from 2020 to 2049.

The History of SPLA Day?

On May 16, 1983, a group of mutinous soldiers in Bor (present-day Jonglei State, South Sudan), led by Kerubino Kuanyin Bol and supported by John Garang de Mabior, launched an armed uprising. This mutiny became the seed of the SPLA, which formally emerged as the military wing of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

The SPLA's mission was not only to resist Khartoum but also to fight for greater equality, self-determination and autonomy for Southern Sudanese people.

Over the next two decades, the SPLA became the dominant rebel force in the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005). The war was one of the longest and deadliest in Africa, costing over 2 million lives and displacing millions more.

In the 1990s and 2000s, the SPLA remained the central military organization representing Southern Sudanese aspirations despite internal divisions.

In 2005, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed between SPLM/A and the Sudanese government. This agreement granted South Sudan regional autonomy and the right to hold an independence referendum.

In 2011, South Sudan voted overwhelmingly for independence. On July 9, 2011, the Republic of South Sudan was born, and the SPLA became its national army.

SPLA Day is both a patriotic holiday and a memorial day, acknowledging the suffering of civilians as well as the role of soldiers in achieving independence, and it honors the sacrifice and resilience of those who fought in the struggle.