---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Sun, Jul 10, 2011 at 7:46 AM Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] Fw: Independence Day To: Group <[email protected]>
For once in my life I am lost for words; I cannot find words to describe yesterday's Independence event. It was simply a wonderful day, and those who tried to put a negative spin on it for whatever reason failed. Below are a few random articles, and I will probably circulate a few more later. John BEGIN 1. South Sudan gains independence, becomes new nation Maggie Fick, Associated Press Saturday, July 9, 2011 Juba, South Sudan -- South Sudan became the world's newest nation early today, officially breaking away from Sudan after two civil wars over five decades that cost the lives of millions. In the new country's capital, Juba, streets pulsed with excitement. Residents danced, banged on jerry cans and chanted the name of the world's newest president, Salva Kiir. One man kneeled and kissed the ground as a group ran through the streets singing "We will never, never, never surrender." "Ah, I'm free," said Daniel Deng, a 27-year-old police officer and former soldier who broke out in a wide grin. The Republic of South Sudan earned independence at 12:01 a.m. today, breaking Africa's largest country in two. It marked the culmination of a January independence vote, which was guaranteed in a 2005 peace deal that ended the most recent north-south war. After the celebrations die down, residents of South Sudan face an uphill climb. While the new country is oil-rich, it is one of the poorest and least-developed places on Earth. Unresolved problems between the south and its former foe to the north could mean new conflict along the new international border, advocates and diplomats warn. Today's early morning celebrations were joyous for the freedom gained but tinged with the memories of family lost. At least 2 million people were killed in Sudan's last civil war, fought from 1983-2005. "I came here for this moment," said Chol Allen, a 32-year-old minister who escaped Sudan in 2003 and eventually settled in Memphis, Tennessee. He returned to Juba two months ago for the midnight party, though he plans to go back to the United States, where he has a 4-year-old daughter. "We were all born into war. All of us," he said, then pointed at a crowded pick-up truck of youngsters. "This generation will see the hope of the newborn nation." 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. World leaders attending a celebratory ceremony today include U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir, whose country already has recognized South Sudan. The young government faces the huge challenge of reforming its bloated and often predatory army, diversifying its oil-based economy, and deciding how political power will be distributed among the dozens of ethnic and military factions. It must also begin delivering basic needs such as education, health services, water and electricity to its more than 8 million citizens. 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. A $1 billion yearly U.N. peacekeeping mission with a 10,000-member peacekeeping force has monitored implementation of the 2005 peace deal. The mission has drawn criticism for its failure to protect Sudanese civilians caught in violence along the north-south border and in the south, where conflict has killed nearly 2,400 people this year alone. The U.N. Security Council Friday unanimously approved a new peacekeeping force for South Sudan, authorizing the deployment of up to 7,000 military personnel and 900 international police, plus an unspecified number of U.N. civilian staff including human rights experts. The Obama administration has devoted considerable time to ensuring the fragile peace deal holds. 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. But relations between the two already are looking bleak, with hostilities raging between northern troops and southern-allied forces in a northern border state, a tense stalemate over another disputed border zone, and a breakdown in negotiations this week over the future of Sudan's oil industry. While South Sudan is now expected to control of more than 75 percent of what was Sudan's daily oil production, it has no refineries and southern oil must flow through the north's pipelines to reach market. Facts and figures -- The land: Sudan was the largest country in Africa, but today lost the Texas-sized south, which became its own nation. South Sudan shares a 1,300 mile-border with northern Sudan. South Sudan also borders Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Central African Republic and Congo. -- The people: The south's population is disputed. A 2008-09 census found that it had 8.26 million, but the southern government argued that the south has between 11 million and 13 million. Of more than 200 ethnic groups, the majority practice traditional or indigenous faiths and Christians remain in the minority. The percentage of southern Muslims is much smaller, though immigrants from the north who practice Islam are well represented in the southern capital. -- Challenges: It is one of the least developed regions in the world, where an estimated 85 percent of the population is illiterate. The United Nations says a 15-year-old girl in South Sudan has a higher chance of dying in childbirth than finishing school. There was only a mile or two of pavement in its capital just a little over a year ago. Food prices have soared in recent months and unemployment is high: Many southerners are self-sustaining cattle keepers or farmers, while others subsist off small sales of tea and other goods. -- The economy: Sudan has been sub-Saharan Africa's third-largest oil producer, and the south should assume control of more than 75 percent of the daily oil production of 490,000 barrels. But negotiations between north and south over the future of the oil industry - worth billions per year - are mired in dispute. Oil earnings have accounted for about 98 percent of the south's budget the past six years, and the government has said diversifying its economy is a priority. The southern government recently called for the United States to lift its sanctions on Sudan, which currently prohibit U.S. companies from investing in the country. Reserves of copper, gold and tin could prove to be an asset to the new country's economy but could spark further problems with the north. Vast tracts of arable land in the south are ripe for commercial agriculture. -- History: Sudan gained independence from Britain in 1956 after descending into internal north-south conflict in 1955, which southerners linked to unequal colonial policies over more than a century of British-Egyptian rule. The first southern rebellion against Sudan's Arab-ruled north burned from 1962 to 1972 and resulted in a peace deal that largely did not satisfy the south's desire for autonomy. War between north and south resumed in 1983, when the Sudan People's Liberation Army launched a violent struggle that would last until 2005, claiming more than 2 million lives and forcing an estimated 4 million southerners to flee their homes. The internationally brokered Comprehensive Peace Agreement called for a six-year interim period in which a semiautonomous government would rule the south until a January 2011 self-determination vote. The referendum passed nearly unanimously in favor of secession. Tensions have flared since the vote, raising fears that the partition may leave many unresolved issues that could stoke further conflict between the two regions after the split, particularly along its disputed north-south border. Associated Press http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/09/MNA31K8B6R.DTL END1 2, South Sudan: a nation in the making Posted by Sara Pantuliano, in Juba Friday 8 July 2011 07.00 BST On 9 July The Republic of South Sudan becomes the world's newest state, signalling a cause for celebration and the start of hard work Landing at Juba airport felt like arriving at a big family reunion. I lived in Sudan for eight years. The airport was packed with a large number of familiar and not so familiar faces, all abuzz with the excitement of the big event to come. Walking through Juba, I could feel and hear the electric atmosphere all around as South Sudan prepares for independence: children rehearsing the new national anthem, brightly dressed women chanting, motorbikes and cars endlessly honking their horns; drumming and singing late into the night. People talk of the "baby nation" with immense pride, and there is good cause for celebration. The 2005 comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the south ended more than two decades of civil war. One of the key provisions of the CPA was the referendum for independence, which was held in January 2011, and in which southern Sudanese citizens voted decisively to split from the north with an overwhelming majority of 98.3%. Both the CPA and the referendum represent major achievements, especially when viewed against the backdrop of a war that cost an estimated 2 million lives. But this is a nation that starts life facing formidable challenges. Most of the country remains profoundly underdeveloped, especially in more remote areas. Southern Sudan is frequently misreported as being poor but, although there is grinding poverty, its oil wealth means that in GDP terms it is rich. By the end of the CPA interim period – which expires on independence – it is estimated that the government in the south will have received around $11bn in oil revenues. There is a desperate need to direct revenues to where they are most urgently needed, and to provide for more equitable distribution of wealth, as well as greater transparency and accountability. The current proportion of the Republic of South Sudan's revenue that is being consumed by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) is not sustainable. It will take considerable political courage for the new government of south Sudan to finally disarm and demobilise its excess soldiers, establish an effective civilian police force to deal with the rampant insecurity affecting large parts of the country, and avoid following the route of other former African liberation movements which have succumbed to autocracy when in power. Many unresolved issues in South Sudan's transition to a viable independent state require continued negotiation with the north. A workable agreement on sharing oil wealth after independence has yet to be struck; the border has to be fully demarcated and the escalating conflicts in the border areas of Abyei and Southern Kordofan, as well as tensions in Blue Nile state, pose a huge destabilising threat to the future of both countries. The greatest blunder the international community could make would be to interpret the establishment of the new Republic of South Sudan as the end of a process and the cessation of the north-south conflict. Rather, the creation of a newly independent state should be seen as a step, albeit a major one, in a much longer journey to create the necessary conditions for sustainable peace and security without which neither the new country of South Sudan nor the north can flourish. Indeed, while focusing on the needs of the new country, the interests and difficulties of the north must not be neglected – not least because these could reignite a conflagration between the regions. But what is clear in Juba is that those who have had their eyes on the prize of independence for so long will expect a lot of their new government after all the sacrifices. For most, independence was the reward to be won at any cost, and during the process many of the problems affecting South Sudan were tolerated by its citizens or blamed on the north. This will not be possible after 9 July. Expectations are very high and the government will need to manage them and inspire confidence in its people. Saturday will be a day to pause and celebrate South Sudan becoming the world's newest nation, but on Monday the hard work of turning this fledgling nation into a functioning state will have to begin in earnest. • Dr Sara Pantuliano is head of the Humanitarian Policy Group at the Overseas Development Institute. She was an observer at the intergovernmental authority on development Sudan peace process, which led to the comprehensive peace agreement. She took part in the recent Global development podcast on what the future holds for south Sudan http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/jul/08/south-sudan-independence END2 3. South Sudan freedom day dawns by Peter Martell JUBA, July 9, 2011 (AFP) - Celebrations erupted across Juba as jubilant crowds marked South Sudan's long-awaited day of freedom on Saturday, when the chronically underdeveloped region became the world's newest nation. "Today we shall raise the flag of South Sudan to join the nations of the world," said Pagan Amum, the secretary general of the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement as tens of thousands gathered for the official proclamation of the south's independence. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir -- who led northern forces for the last 16 years of the devastating 1983-2005 civil war in which the south staked its claim for independence -- flew into Juba for the ceremony as guest of honour. From early morning, revellers gathered at the venue, singing songs and carrying flags, amid tight security. "South Sudan oyee! Free South Sudan!" Amum chanted from the podium, as the expectant crowd awaited the start. It was the largest international gathering ever seen in the war-damaged former garrison town on the White Nile that lacks even basic infrastructure, and army generals were asked to vacate their seats to make space for foreign dignitaries. The historic ceremony was due to be attended by 30 African leaders and senior Western officials. "This is the special day," said Joseph Legge. "We cannot wait to see the flags swap -- north down and south up." South Sudan's independence comes exactly six months after a referendum saw southerners vote almost unanimously to split with their former civil war enemies in the north. For decades, until a peace agreement was signed in 2005, southern rebels fought successive wars with the north, leaving the region in ruins, millions of people dead and a legacy of mutual mistrust. The independence ceremony is being held at the mausoleum of the late rebel leader John Garang, who died just months after signing the peace accord that ended Africa's longest-running conflict and opened the door to nationhood. "This is a historic day, a day of justice, a day I am so happy to see. Today we can move on with a new life and forget the suffering and the pain," said Archbishop Daniel Deng Bol, head of the Episcopal Church of Sudan. Military parades, prayers and a performance of the new national anthem were due to take place from 0815 GMT, followed by the declaration of independence, the raising of the Republic of South Sudan's flag and the new country's first president, Salva Kiir, taking the oath of office. Southern officials have said the guest of honour at the celebrations will be Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur. There were Darfuris among those waiting expectantly at Garang's mausoleum. "We are here to welcome our brothers in the south in independence, and give a message to Bashir, that this is what happens when you oppress a people," said Mohammed Jamous. Around 200 supporters of Darfur rebel leader Abdelwahid Nur held a banner that read: "The new beginning," and "Together we must stop genocide in Darfur, Nuba Mountains." The Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan state in the north have seen deadly clashes in the run-up to southern independence between northern troops and pro-southern militia. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has already said he will try to avoid an encounter with Bashir at the independence ceremony. But Khartoum was among the first countries to officially recognise the fledgling nation, which needs all the help it can get to overcome the vast challenges of building a stable and prosperous future. For this, it must strike a cooperative relationship with Bashir, given the strong ties that continue to bind the two countries, and despite the strain on relations caused by the bloodshed in the Nuba Mountains. Talks in Addis Ababa aimed at resolving issues still outstanding between north and south, such as the future status of the disputed border district of Abyei, how to manage the country's oil sector and the fate of southerners in the north and northerners in the south, have so far failed to bear fruit. UN chief Ban Ki-moon, another prominent guest at the ceremony, on Friday praised the "political courage" of the Sudanese government in accepting southern independence. "I know secession is painful, emotionally and financially," Ban said after meeting Foreign Minister Ali Karti in Khartoum before flying to Juba for the celebrations. "While the people of north and south Sudan will soon live in different countries, their future will be closely linked." END3 4. South Sudan hoists world’s newest flag FT July 9, 2011 3:40 pm By Katrina Manson in Juba An ecstatic night and day of celebration has greeted the birth of the world’s newest country, South Sudan, which has formally parted from the Arab-led Khartoum government to the north. In a day of firsts for South Sudan, the new country hoisted its flag in front of a crowd of thousands of cheering southern Sudanese chanting their delight at new-found freedom. At midnight on Friday, in the small southern capital Juba, passing cars honked in chaotic unison and careered round a countdown clock to independence waving flags, branches and the spirit of the possible. Ill-lit, workers were still fixing up street lights as South Sudan’s new capital celebrated its birth. Wearing face paint of the flag, many sat on car bonnets, hung out the windows and bounced their cars up and down in delight. Banging jerry cans for drums, wearing feathers or cradling candles, the impromptu late-night street party signalled the release of a nation. Heavily policed, the buoyant mood won out. Many security officers danced, smiled and celebrated alongside them. Kumba Alibea, 42, carried a sign he made saying “Just Divorced”. “When you are married to someone who gives you no freedom, you must leave them,” he said. Others yelled out “Bye bye Bashir” to signify the break from Omar al-Bashir’s presidency in Khartoum. For many who gathered at the town’s countdown clock, the red digital flash said it all: “Free at last”. On Saturday, tens of thousands walked towards the parade ground where President Salva Kiir raised the new South Sudan flag, bold in colours to represent blood, skin, peace, water and land. Women ululated, while men skipped and danced their way waving mini versions of the flag, hanging them from shirt buttons, wrapped round as hats, attached to any spoke or surface of vehicles from motorbikes to 4WDs. Police laced flag poles into their boots, or stuck two apiece per pocket. Thousands streamed toward the John Garang memorial ground, tribute to the leader who was killed in a helicopter crash three months after signing a historic peace deal in 2005. President Salva Kiir Mayardit swore an oath of allegiance to the new state and a brass band played the anthem to the crowd, which included UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, US envoy Susan Rice, Colin Powell and UK foreign secretary William Hague. The odd US flag and a placard in appreciation of the role played by US president George Bush in brokering the peace, plus several Israeli flags recognising that country’s support and supply of weapons, went alongside other memories. “We spent a long time at war, it’s enough,” said Rebecca Atoo, 30, waving her flag as she jostled to try to see the ceremony unfold. Mr Kiir earlier greeted Khartoum’s Mr Bashir, an indicted war criminal, whose country was the first to recognise the new South Sudan and who later watched the ceremony unfold. Neighbour Egypt, the US and the UK have all recognised the new country. For many southerners, Sudan is a country they have come to know only later in life. “I was born in war and grew up in a refugee camp in Uganda – now I have my own country I am so glad,” said John Agele, 18, craning forward at a security rope. Samuel Woja Duku’s family left for Uganda when he was one year old, in flight from civil wars that have characterised the south since even a year before its independence in 1956. Fifty four years later, as a teacher in Khartoum, Mr Woja Duku finally made the move home, two weeks ago, travelling by barge down the River Nile with his children. He says many of his friends are at the river port waiting to make the journey too. UN agencies estimate most of the 800,000 or so Southerners who stay in the north will follow suit and there are several hints the Khartoum government will make life unpleasant for southerners, from closing down southern newspapers to terminating jobs of southerners working in government service or private sector jobs without visas. Now that South Sudan is a free and independent nation, Mr Woja Duku, now a 55-year-old teacher, has a more immediate mission in neighbouring Uganda, however. “My father used to tell he would not come back here until it was free. That day has come so now I am going to Uganda to collect his bones and bring them back here.” Heeding Mr Kiir’s conviction that “we must now allow ourselves to dream” in sectors ranging from education and food to water and electricity in the sorely under-developed new country, Mr Woja Duku has another plan too: “Now I will teach here and build up my nation.” Katrina Manson East Africa correspondent Financial Times Sudan mob: +249 (0)901 152 645 Kenya mob: +254 (0)734 861 767 Kenya office: +254 20 221 4255 UK mob: +44 (0)7814 106 535 [email protected] www.ft.com END4 5, Sudan recognises Republic of South Sudan: minister KHARTOUM, July 8, 2011 (AFP) - Sudan on Friday announced its official recognition of the new Republic of South Sudan, becoming the first country to do so, a day before its southern neighbour becomes the world's newest nation. "The Republic of Sudan announces that it recognises the Republic of South Sudan as an independent state, according to the borders existing on January 1, 1956," Minister of Presidential Affairs Bakri Hassan Saleh said in a statement broadcast on state television. END5 6. South Sudan leader declares amnesty to armed rebels The president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, has once again declared an amnesty to rebel groups fighting the authorities in the new country. The president spoke 9 July in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, in a ceremony to formally declare independence. "I want to declare a public amnesty to all those who have taken up arms against the Government of South Sudan, for one reason or another, (and) to join us in this young nation," Kiir said in an address broadcast live by the state TV, South Sudan Television. There are at least seven rebel groups fighting the now independent South Sudan. Most of the rebels took up arms after the April 2010 general elections, complaining of rigging, while others alleged of marginalization. A previous amnesty declared by President Kiir in 2010 collapsed. Source: Southern Sudan Television, Juba, in English 1330 gmt 9 Jul 11 END6 7. S. Sudan leader offers peace to rebels, hotspots JUBA, July 9 (Reuters) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir promised to bring peace to troubled border areas and offered an amnesty to armed groups fighting his government, hours after his state declared independence from the north on Saturday. South Sudan seceded on Saturday -- a separation won in a January referendum that was the climax of a 2005 peace deal which ended decades of civil war with the north. "I want to assure the people of Abyei, Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan that we have not forgotten you. When you cry, we cry. When you bleed, we bleed," Kiir said at the independence ceremony in the southern capital Juba, watched by world leaders. "I pledge to you today that we will find a just peace for all," he said, adding he would work with north Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to attain that. All the areas he mentioned are on the ill-defined border the south shares with the north -- all of them hotspots that analysts fear could reignite violence after the separation Abyei is a fertile area, with some oil reserves, claimed by both sides. Darfur is the scene of an eight-year insurgency against Khartoum. Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile are both in north Sudan but include large populations which sided with the south during the civil war. Kiir's statement may have been intended to connect with those groups who have since felt left behind by Juba. Armed groups in Southern Kordofan have been fighting northern government troops since early June. "I would like to take this opportunity to declare amnesty for all those who have taken up arms against Sudan," Kiir added. At least seven rebel militia are fighting government forces in remote parts of South Sudan. Many of them say they are fighting against what they see as corruption and ethnic discrimination in the south's government, charges denied by the state. Kiir has offered pardons before with limited success. Kiir told the crowd he would also fight the "cancer of corruption" in the south. "This new nation shall strive to live in peace with its neighbours north, south, east and west," Kiir said. He later said that having lived with war for so long, South Sudanese would never allow themselves to be categorised as "aggressors or troublemakers". (Reporting by Alex Dziadosz; Writing by Andrew Heavens; Editing by Louise Ireland) END7 ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan Advisor [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +249 919 695 362 (Sudan mobile) +27 82 853 3556 (South Africa mobile) +44 750 304 1790 (UK/international) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. 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