Southern Sudan: World’s Newest Country

People of Southern Sudan

Southern Sudan could be the world’s newest country. A former part of Sudan, the largest country in Africa and the Arab World have voted for a separate independent state. According to the figures released by Southern Sudan Referendum Commission on January 30, 2011 as preliminary results, 99% of the people have voted for separation. Final results will be declared on early part of February.

North and South Sudan had engaged in civil war for more than a decade causing an estimated death of 2 million people. It was the longest civil war in the Africa. The referendum was one of the conditions in a peace deal signed on 2005. South Sudan could declare independence on July 9, 2011.

After the initial report South Sudan President Salva Kiir was quoted as saying “This is what we voted for, so that people can be free in their own country … I say congratulations a million times,” the President have told this in front of thousands of crowd.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit was the former Vice-President of Sudan together with the late John Garang as President but have been killed on July 30, 2005. The two leaders were the prominent figures in Sudan Peoples Liberation Army/Movement.

Salva Kiir Mayardit

Southern Sudan have a long way to go for independence for there are unresolved issues such as the disputed boundary, oil revenue, and the ownership of the Abyei Region. Residents of Southern Sudan who are doing business in other parts of the Middle East and Europe are still optimistic about the outcome of the referendum. They are united for a separate state and were wiling to invest in Southern Sudan.

Southern Sudan will soon follow the lead of the world’s newest independent countries, East Timor in 2002, Serbia in 2006 as well as Montenegro in 2006, and finally Kosovo in 2008.

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