History is made as S. Sudan becomes independent state

Before an overflowing crowd of tens of thousands of his ecstatic countrymen, President Salva Kiir Mayardit used the historic occasion of the entry of South Sudan into the world’s community of states to tell his people that they would never again wilfully return to war.

“This is a day that will be forever engraved in our hearts. Citizens in every village and county of South Sudan are celebrating.

“We give praise to the Almighty God for making it possible for us to witness this day which we have waited for more than 56 years,” he said.

President Kiir told his war-weary citizens that the new nation, which was home to a conflict that claimed the highest number of civilian casualties since the Second World War, that South Sudan would now be a maker of peace and never a wager of war.

“We will live at peace with our neighbours in the north, east, west and south. We shall be part of endeavours to strive for freedom, dignity and peace.

“Having been at the receiving end of injustice for the better part of our post-colonial history, the people of South Sudan will never accept to be aggressors.

“We have experienced what it is to be a refugee. We hope that this has been our last war and that our people will never have to leave the country to flee from insecurity,” he said.

The new president was fulsome in his praise of neighbours such as Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia which played host to hundreds of thousands of refugees from the South during the long war and which are expected to emerge as key trading partners and strong political allies of the newest member of the East African Community.

“(Our neighbours) gave us water when we were thirsty, medication when we were sick, they gave education to our children and most importantly they stayed with us to the end. We thank them.”

Saturday’s celebration was a moment of considerable historic significance in modern African history. Some analysts say the breakup of the biggest country in Africa represents the biggest event in the last few decades since the fall of the Apartheid regime in South Africa.

It marked a milestone which some hope will help end one of the longest running conflicts in Africa between the religiously and culturally distinct peoples of North and South Sudan.

In their effort to suppress the revolt by the people of South Sudan, who mainly follow traditional beliefs or subscribe to Christianity, forces from the mainly Islamic North waged a war which resulted in the displacement of up to 4 million Southerners and the death of about two million mainly due to hunger and disease.

The official proclamation of the new state by war veteran James Wani Igga, who is now Speaker of the South Sudan Legislative Assembly, came at 1.25 pm, three hours before Mr Kiir’s speech.

To the accompaniment of a brass band and with the cheers of the gathered thousands echoing in his ears, Mr Wani uttered the words that will go down in South Sudanese folklore as marking the moment when the long resistance came to an official end.

“We, the democratically elected representatives of the people, based on the will of the people of South Sudan, and as confirmed by the outcome of the referendum of self-determination, hereby declare South Sudan to be an independent and sovereign nation.”

The event was witnessed by thousands of citizens many of whom arrived at the venue in the half-light of dawn and witnessed a glorious golden sunrise from the eastern end of the Juba airport area signalling the start of a day which many had never dared dream would come.

Dozens took positions on the branches of the trees that line the edges of the grounds while many others jostled for positions close to the dais.

Young and old said this was one of the happiest days of their lives. Because of the length of the war which first began in 1955 and ended around the turn of the century with only a few years of peace in between, nearly everyone has a memory of the bitter price of conflict.