[ 2011-07-09 ]

South Sudan day of freedom dawns
JUBA (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, speaking at the base of a
giant flagpole.

From early morning, thousands started to arrive at
the official venue of Saturday's celebrations,
singing songs and carrying flags.

It will be the largest international gathering
ever seen in this war-damaged former garrison town
on the White Nile that lacks even basic
infrastructure.

Last-minute preparations have been taking place
throughout the capital ahead of the historic
ceremony, which is due to be attended by 30
African leaders and senior Western officials.

Workers were still fixing the awning above the VIP
seating on Saturday morning, and security was
tight, with sniffer dogs and heavily armed
soldiers on the streets.

"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 are 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 chief guest of
honour at the celebrations will be Sudanese
President Omar al-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 the Sudanese leader, 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.

Source - AFP

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