UPDATE 1 -- South Sudan becomes world's newest nation

[News_Editor]

UPDATE 1 -- South Sudan becomes world's newest nation

2011-07-09 05:03:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

JUBA (BNO NEWS) -- The region of South Sudan on Saturday morning broke away from Sudan, making the Republic of South Sudan the world's newest nation. It comes after two civil wars which left millions dead.

The breakaway comes after Southern Sudanese voted in January in favor of secession from the rest of the African nation. The region's independence was approved by 98.83 percent of the voters, which was no surprise as surveys before the referendum had showed that nearly everyone would vote in favor for their own state.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir had said before the vote that he would accept the result no matter what the outcome would be, allowing the creation of an independent state. The secession became official as clocks hit midnight on early Saturday morning.

In Juba, the capital of the world's 193rd country as recognized by the United Nation, residents were reported to be dancing and singing on the streets. Similar celebrations were reported in other parts of South Sudan.

January's referendum and Saturday's secession are seen as the culminating point of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which officially ended the long north-south civil war in Sudan, although the conflict has been ongoing. Violence also erupted recently in the disputed Abyei region.

More than two million people, most of them civilians who died due to starvation and drought, were killed during the Second Sudanese Civil War between 1983 and 2005. Under the CPA, the Southern Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) became the official army of South Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) the ruling party.

With South Sudan's secession, there are new hopes that the conflict with the rest of Sudan could finally come to an end, but significant issues such as Abyei remain unsolved. "In the days and the months ahead, the leaders of Sudan and South Sudan will need to work together to prevent violence and ensure that any isolated incidents do not cause wider instability or threaten a peaceful future for the citizens of these new nations," White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Thursday.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir in Juba on Friday evening, hours before South Sudan became a country. Ban congratulated Kiir on achieving the independence and pledged the UN's full support to building strong and responsible institutions in the South.

"The Secretary-General and President Kiir discussed outstanding issues under the CPA, including the border and the status of Abyei," said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky. "The Secretary-General stressed that peaceful relations between the North and the South would require strong leadership and vision."

With South Sudan now officially a country, the UN Security Council will discuss South Sudan's membership application to the United Nations on Wednesday. It will then be followed by a discussion in the UN General Assembly on Thursday before a vote takes place.

"I am confident that this new country will soon become the newest member of the United Nations - our 193th Member State," Ban said at a press conference with Kiir, during which he noted that the region has enormous challenges.

"I commend President Bashir and President Kiir on reaching today's milestone. Both Presidents have walked a long road in the name of peace. That journey continues," Ban said.

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