Committee outlines three stages of General Joseph Lagu’s state burial
The High-Level Ad Hoc Committee organising the state burial of the late General Joseph Lagu Yanga has outlined three key stages of the funeral arrangements, ahead of a date to be officially announced by the Office of the President.
According to the committee’s spokesperson, Ambassador John Andruga, the first stage will involve the lying-in-state of the late general’s body, to be attended by President Salva Kiir, senior government officials and other dignitaries.
The ceremony will begin in the morning and continue throughout the night until dawn the following day. The body will be brought from the funeral home for the state viewing.
On the second day, the body will be taken to the late general’s family residence in Hai Tijaria residential area, where members of the Madi community, friends and relatives will have an opportunity to pay their last respects throughout the night.
Andruga says the third stage will begin early in the morning with the transportation of the body to All Saints Cathedral in Juba for prayers, which will be attended by President Kiir and senior government officials.
Following the church service, the body will be taken to the Dr. John Garang Mausoleum, where General Lagu will be laid to rest in a state burial ceremony to be attended by the President.
Andruga also revealed that the late general will be accorded a 12-gun military salute as part of the burial honours.
He urged members of the public to remain calm, saying official communication will be issued to inform the public about the arrangements and prevent unnecessary panic during the ceremony.
The spokesperson further said there will be no speeches after the burial, urging mourners to leave the venue peacefully.
According to Madi tradition, final funeral prayers will be conducted four days after the burial at the National Legislative Assembly in Juba.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Agok Anyar, former spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, says the ministry will send invitations to regional and international leaders to attend the state burial.
General Joseph Lagu Yanga was born on 21 November 1931 and died on 27 October 2026.
He led the Anya-Nya resistance movement between 1963 and 1972 before later serving as President of the High Executive Council in 1978.
Regarded as one of South Sudan’s prominent liberation figures and statesmen, General Lagu was accorded a state burial by President Salva Kiir.
The planned ceremony is expected to be the first of its kind since South Sudan gained independence in 2011.
