The Republic of South Sudan has entered the world as its 193rd nation with an overjoyed population that views this moment of freedom as decades in the making.
Messages of liberation struggle don banners and billboards, reflecting the relief that comes with this day following an overwhelming approval of 98 per cent for the January historic referendum to separate from the rest of Sudan.. A referendum which was part of the CPA deal to end decades of war in the country.
The black African tribes of South Sudan and the mainly Arab north battled two civil wars over more than five decades, and some 2 million died in the latest war, from 1983-2005. It culminated in a 2005 peace deal that led to Saturday's independence declaration.
The challenges remain daunting for a nation characterised with tribal war. It has the world's highest maternal mortality rate. Estimates of illiteracy among the female population exceed 80 percent. More than half of its people must feed, clothe and shelter themselves on less than a dollar a day. Critical issues of poverty, insecurity and lack of infrastructure must all be addressed by a relatively new government with little experience and only embryonic institutions.
In a statement release by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, "South Sudan has remarkable potential. With substantial oil reserves, huge amounts of arable land and the Nile River flowing through its center, South Sudan could grow into a prosperous, self-sustaining nation capable of providing security, services and employment for its population."
"Alone, South Sudan cannot meet these challenges, nor realize its potential. Doing so will require partnership -- a full (and on-going) engagement with the international community and, most especially, with South Sudan's neighbours." the statement added.
Tension and fears had been expressed in the run-up to the Independence Day that there may be resumption of war following fighting in Abyei and South Kordofan, a conflict that has uprooted about 170,000 people from their homes.
But agreement by the two sides to pull out forces from the two areas has somehow calmed tension.
Source: ABC News
Messages of liberation struggle don banners and billboards, reflecting the relief that comes with this day following an overwhelming approval of 98 per cent for the January historic referendum to separate from the rest of Sudan.. A referendum which was part of the CPA deal to end decades of war in the country.
The black African tribes of South Sudan and the mainly Arab north battled two civil wars over more than five decades, and some 2 million died in the latest war, from 1983-2005. It culminated in a 2005 peace deal that led to Saturday's independence declaration.
The challenges remain daunting for a nation characterised with tribal war. It has the world's highest maternal mortality rate. Estimates of illiteracy among the female population exceed 80 percent. More than half of its people must feed, clothe and shelter themselves on less than a dollar a day. Critical issues of poverty, insecurity and lack of infrastructure must all be addressed by a relatively new government with little experience and only embryonic institutions.
In a statement release by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, "South Sudan has remarkable potential. With substantial oil reserves, huge amounts of arable land and the Nile River flowing through its center, South Sudan could grow into a prosperous, self-sustaining nation capable of providing security, services and employment for its population."
"Alone, South Sudan cannot meet these challenges, nor realize its potential. Doing so will require partnership -- a full (and on-going) engagement with the international community and, most especially, with South Sudan's neighbours." the statement added.
Tension and fears had been expressed in the run-up to the Independence Day that there may be resumption of war following fighting in Abyei and South Kordofan, a conflict that has uprooted about 170,000 people from their homes.
But agreement by the two sides to pull out forces from the two areas has somehow calmed tension.
Source: ABC News
0 comments:
Post a Comment