South Sudan becomes 193rd UN member state

South Sudan becomes 193rd UN member state

2011-07-15 00:27:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday admitted the newly independent Republic of South Sudan as the 193rd member of the United Nations.

"At this moment, in this place, the world gathers to say in one voice: Welcome, South Sudan. Welcome to the community of nations," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the meeting.

Ban, who was among the UN dignitaries that attended the independence ceremony in South Sudan's capital, Juba, last Saturday, pledged the UN's full support as the country shapes its future. "Together, let us say to the citizens of our newest Member State: You now sit with us. We stand with you," Ban said.

Assembly President Joseph Deiss also welcomed the newly independent country to the community of nations and said Thursday marks a "historic" moment for Africa and for the world community.

"Today we are firmly entrenching South Sudan in the community of nations in the same way as other Member States with the same rights and responsibilities. The universality of the United Nations and the values that are enshrined in its Charter are thereby enhanced," he stated.

Deiss added: "I am confident that South Sudan will contribute to promote the objectives of security, peace, prosperity, friendship and cooperation between peoples as they are promoted by the United Nations, and this for the good of the people of South Sudan, for the good of the region and for the entire African continent."

South Sudan's independence is the result of the January 2011 referendum held under the terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the decades-long civil war between the North and the South, which left millions dead. 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.

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 the disputed Abyei region remain unsolved. There has also been violence in recent months.

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