Independence Day Celebrations in South Sudan in Juba/Nationwide
South Sudan's Independence Day, observed every July 9, marks the country's 2011 secession from Sudan and is the nation's most significant public holiday. Juba hosts the largest celebrations, including parades, riverside gatherings, and school and community events organized by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, while smaller observances take place nationwide.
On July 9, 2011, South Sudan became the world's newest sovereign nation, the product of a referendum that followed decades of civil war against successive governments in Khartoum and cost an estimated two million lives across the broader conflict.