By Spy Uganda
A fresh storm has broken out over the legacy of South Sudan’s founding father, Dr. John Garang de Mabior, after Ugandan authorities intercepted a trove of his personal archives at Entebbe International Airport and blocked their transfer to South Africa.
The seizure, executed on Sunday, has thrust into the spotlight the contentious struggle over the custody of Garang’s historical records — documents laden with political, scholarly, and symbolic weight for both South Sudan and the wider region.
Ugandan security operatives arrested two individuals — a British-German national and a Ugandan — in connection with the attempted export. Their residences in Kampala were subsequently searched, according to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango.
“The suspects were apprehended at Entebbe and remain under investigation,” Onyango confirmed. “We are also reviewing the legality of their possession of the materials.”
The detained pair reportedly claimed they carried authorization letters from Mabior Garang, son of the late SPLM/A leader, permitting delivery of the archives to the Thabo Mbeki Foundation in South Africa. Mabior himself has remained silent, further deepening the intrigue.
According to sources, the confiscated cache includes private letters, wartime notes, and personal records of Garang — revered as the intellectual strategist of South Sudan’s liberation struggle. Historians contend the materials could illuminate critical episodes of the Second Sudanese Civil War and the negotiations that birthed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2005.
Observers warn the episode could strain ties between Kampala and Juba if not resolved with transparency. Civil society actors and academics in South Sudan argue the archives form part of the young nation’s collective patrimony and must be safeguarded within its borders.
“Garang’s legacy belongs to South Sudanese citizens, not to private handlers,” asserted a Juba-based historian, urging both governments to collaborate on proper preservation.
Garang, a U.S.-trained agricultural economist turned guerrilla commander, steered the SPLM/A for over two decades, culminating in the 2005 CPA that laid the foundation for South Sudan’s independence in 2011. His sudden death in a helicopter crash in July 2005 — just weeks after being sworn in as Sudan’s First Vice President and following a meeting with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni — plunged the movement into uncertainty.
Ugandan authorities have declined to disclose the full inventory of the seized documents, describing them only as “sensitive.” The suspects remain in custody as investigations progress.
Civil society organisations in both Uganda and South Sudan are now demanding clarity on the archives’ fate — whether they will be returned to Garang’s family, housed in a national repository, or entrusted to a regional institution.
“This is not just about paperwork; it is about the very history of a nation,” said a South Sudanese activist in Juba. “The integrity of Garang’s story must be preserved.”
