World's newest nation
July 9, 2011
Jubilant crowds gathered in the South Sudanese capital of Juba on Saturday as the nation marked its first day as an independent country.
South Sudan became the world's newest nation at midnight local time, when it officially declared itself separate from northern Sudan following decades of conflict. Former rebel leader Salva Kiir was sworn in as the country's first president.
"Our martyrs did not die in vain... We have waited for more than 56 years for this day," said Kiir at a ceremony in Juba. "It is a day that will be forever engraved on our hearts and minds."
The ceremony was held at the mausoleum of the late rebel leader John Garang, who died just months after signing the peace deal that ended the bitter civil war.
In attendance were some 30 African leaders and senior Western officials, including United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and former US Secretary of State Colin Powell.
The new republic voted for independence in a January referendum, the culmination of a 2005 peace deal, following decades of conflict between the predominately Muslim north and Christian and animist south, which left an estimated two million people dead.
Praise and support
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has pledged her country's support for South Sudan, saying the founding of the new state was "a very special day for Africa."
The issue of Sudan was at the top of the agenda for the United nations Security Council, Merkel said in an online video message. Germany took over the rotating presidency of the Council on July 1.
"What we want is for Sudan and South Sudan to become two stable states. South Sudan, in particular, needs our support and that of the international community," Merkel said.
The United States formally recognized South Sudan as "a sovereign and independent state" in a message from President Barack Obama.
"Today is a reminder that after the darkness of war, the light of a new dawn is possible," Obama said in a statement.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who attended the ceremony in Juba, said South Sudan can count on the solidarity of the world community. Achieving statehood was a "very emotional and exciting moment" for the people of South Sudan, Ban said, declaring it a "new beginning."
The European Union also congratulated the south and commended the government of Khartoum in the north for its decision to swiftly recognize the new republic.
South Africa sent a large, high-level delegation to Juba, led by President Jacob Zuma.
"Africans, from the Cape to Cairo, are today walking tall celebrating this historic moment and acknowledging the commitment of the people of both the north and south to peace and progress," Zuma said.
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, the south's former civil war enemy, was also among the guests. Earlier Saturday, Sudan became the first state to recognize South Sudan as a new nation.
Future still full of uncertainty
Khartoum's recognition, however, has not dispelled fears of possible future conflicts between the two sides.
Northern and southern leaders have failed to agree on a number of issues, including the exact line of the border, the ownership of the disputed Abyei region and how to distribute oil revenues. Both countries are dependant on the region's rich oil reserves.
South Sudan is now the 193rd country recognized by the United Nations. It is also set to become the 54th African state to join the UN.
Despite possessing considerable oil wealth and natural resources, however, the country is underdeveloped and poor, with one-in-seven children dying before the age of five.
Author: Gregg Benzow, Timothy Jones (dpa, AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Martin Kuebler