South Sudan earned independence early today and became the world’s newest nation officially breaking away from Sudan after two bloody civil wars fought over 50 years that cost millions of lives.
In the new country’s capital, Juba, streets thumped with excitement. Residents danced, banged on jerry cans and chanted the name of the world’s first president, Salva Kiir.
Today’s early morning celebrations were joyous for the freedom gained but tinged with the memories of family lost. An estimated two million people were killed in Sudan’s last civil war, fought from 1983-2005.
South Sudan is expected to become the 193rd country recognized by the United Nations next week and the 54th U.N. member state in Africa.
A draft constitution passed this week lays the groundwork for the president and legislators, who were elected last year, to serve out their five-year terms. The legislature’s few opposition lawmakers are unhappy with the draft, but it now serves as an interim constitution until multiparty elections are held.
With the raising of South Sudan’s flag in the world’s newest capital, Juba, the international community may breathe a collective sigh of relief that independence has been reached. El-Bashir has pledged to accept losing about one-third of his country’s territory, an area that contains valuable oil fields.
Sudan is a country in North Africa and the third largest country in Africa by area. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west and Libya to the northwest. The world’s longest river, the Nile, divides the country between east and west sides.
The people of Sudan have a long history extending from antiquity which is intertwined with the history of Egypt, with which it was united politically over several periods. After gaining independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom in 1956, Sudan suffered seventeen years of civil war during the First Sudanese Civil War (1955–1972) followed by ethnic, religious and economic conflicts between the Northern Sudanese (with mainly Nubian and Arab roots), and the Christian and animist Nilotes of Southern Sudan. This led to the Second Sudanese Civil War in 1983. Because of continuing political and military struggles, Sudan was seized in a bloodless coup d’état by colonel Omar al-Bashir in 1989, who thereafter proclaimed himself President of Sudan. The civil war ended with the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement which granted autonomy to the southern region of the country. Following a referendum held in January 2011, Southern Sudan seceded on 9 July 2011.
A member of the United Nations, Sudan also maintains membership with the African Union, the Arab League, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement, as well as serving as an observer in World Trade Organization. Its capital is Khartoum, which serves as the political, cultural and commercial centre of the nation, while Omdurman is the largest city. Officially a federal presidential representative democratic republic, the politics of Sudan are widely considered by the international community to take place within an authoritarian dictatorship due to the influence of the National Congress Party (NCP).