South Sudan became the world’s newest country at July 09. South Sudanese citizens, international dignitaries and the world's newest president are convening in the new country capital of Juba to celebrate the birth of a nation.
Dignitaries including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will watch under a blazing sun as South Sudan President Salva Kiir hosts a noon-hour ceremony.
South and north Sudan battled two civil wars over more than five decades, culminating in a 2005 peace deal that led to July 09th independence declaration.
The independence for Southern Sudan will come into effect on July 9th 2011. This is the day when an American backed peace agreement between the north and south Sudan expires. For the formation of Southern Sudan as new nation, a referendum took place in Southern Sudan from January 9th to 15th 2011. The 98.8% of the people voted in favour of independence.
The referendum was one of the consequences of the 2005 Naivasha Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M). A simultaneous referendum was supposed to be held in Abyei on whether to become part of Southern Sudan but it has been postponed due to conflict over demarcation and residency rights. The referendum was the capstone of decades of civil war in Sudan, which pitted Christian and animist rebels in the south against Arab rulers in northern Sudan.
This new referendum was actually rooted during the time of British rule over Sudan. Britain had employed its trademark divide and rule policy, which created a rift between the Arab Muslims of the north and blacks, mostly animist and some Christian, in the south. Since Sudan’s independence in 1956, southerners sporadically initiated independence wars against the north, so Sudan’s troubles are not a new story. The strife continued into the presidency of Ja’far Nimeiry.
President Numeiri, who came to power in 1969 by means of a military coup, made three errors that led to his overthrow and the third civil war in the country. First, Numeiri tried to redraw the north-south boundaries of 1956 with the aim of annexing the oil-rich southern province of Bentiu and a province rich in agricultural resources, Renk. Second, Numeiri re-divided the south in 1983 into three mini-regions with capitals in Juba, Malakal and Wau. Third, Numeiri declared Islamic law applicable throughout the country, including the south. Numeiri was overthrown by a popular uprising in April 1985. A joint military-civil government under General Swar al-Dahab took power. In 1986, an elected civilian government took over the administration of the country under the premiership of Sadiq al-Mahdi. However, an Islamist coup led by General Omar Ahmed al-Bashir and Dr Hassan Abdalla al-Turabi, toppled al-Mahdi three years later. Thereafter, a confused situation led to the current stalemate:
- The Islamist government declared a holy war (Jihad) on southern rebels;
- The southern groups organised into the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/ Movement (SPLA/SPLM) and held both secret and open talks with the governments of Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia in the United States (US);
- Other peace initiatives were led by the OAU and non-Sudanese;
- A quarrel between al-Turabi and his students over power and the distribution of revenues from the oil-rich south led to al-Turabi’s imprisonment;
- Splits occurred in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the umbrella organisation of northern Sudanese opposition groups.
Basically, three issues have influenced politics in the Southern Sudan, and by extension the greater Sudan:
- The role of British imperialists and the impact of their favouritism towards the Arab elite in the North and against the Southerners;
- The rise of Islamism in the country and its misuse by the Arab elite in the North to serve their personal selfish interests; and
- The rise of strong liberation movements in the South; first by the Anya Nya Movement, then the South Sudan Liberation Army (SSLA) and ultimately by the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A).
In 2005, under international pressure and biting sanctions, al-Bashir consented to a peace treaty with the south in order to maintain his position in power. From the very first day, it was clear that the fate of this treaty would be the south’s separation. According to the agreement, a referendum would be held in January 2011 in order to determine the fate of southern Sudan.
According to the agreement, half of Sudan’s oil revenues were allocated to the southern autonomous region. The southern government spent its lucrative oil profits and financial aid by Western countries and its anti-Sudan neighbors on military development. According to some data, Western countries have spent a billion dollars in equipping and training Southern Sudan’s army. The autonomy granted to the south in the 2005 agreement even allowed them to set up consulates in some other countries and issue visas.
According to the agreement, half of Sudan’s oil revenues were allocated to the southern autonomous region. The southern government spent its lucrative oil profits and financial aid by Western countries and its anti-Sudan neighbors on military development. According to some data, Western countries have spent a billion dollars in equipping and training Southern Sudan’s army. The autonomy granted to the south in the 2005 agreement even allowed them to set up consulates in some other countries and issue visas.
South Sudan passes interim constitution
The Juba based South Sudan Legislative Assembly passed the long awaited interim constitution, giving more powers to president would be new independent state of the Republic of South Sudan on July 7, 2011. The parliament ratified the draft interim constitution into the supreme law of the land two days before South Sudan formally declares its independence, after the majority of its citizens voted in January to create a nation of their own.
Barnaba Marial Benjamin, minister of information in the Government of South Sudan told journalists at daily press briefing in Juba that the new constitution has been passed, denying that it concentrates too much power in the hands of the president. "The new constitution is out. It has been passed," said minister Marial, adding that the views of the general public were gathered and considered before the new constitution was passed. "People of the South Sudan were consulted through their representatives in the parliament. Extensive consultations with our people were made on the constitution and their views have been considered." Benjamin explained that the new constitution encourages a system of decentralisation, while reserving the voices calling for federalism, to be addressed in the next permanent constitution.
The constitution contains a provision allowing the transfer of the former members of parliament in Khartoum into the new parliament in South Sudan, regardless of their political parties. Members of the political parties elected in Khartoum state are also allowed to join their respective states in the south. An additional 66 members from various political parties shall be appointed into the transitional assembly by the presidential decree as 30 other members shall be appointed into the new council of states, making the total 50 representative from various political parties.
In case the post of the president falls vacant within the first one year during the transitional period, the political party on whose ticket the president was elected shall nominate the successor within the 14 days and the elections shall be conducted to fill the vacant position of the president after one year.
A constitutional review committee shall be formed during the interim period to work on the permanent constitution.
The opposition SPLM-DC said the Constitutional Review Committee dominated by the governing party process "delivered a one-party constitution tailored to fit the SPLM alone". It went further to say the dominant party even rejected the "meek proposals" of some opposition parties. The SPLM-DC went to accuse the ruling party of maintaining the institutions elected last year saying such decision dishonours the resolution of power sharing agreed during the "All Southern Sudanese Political Parties Conference" held in Juba in October 2010. The opposition party further says the adopted constitution "denies our people the federal system" by concentrating all the powers in Juba and allowing the President to relieve an elected governor or to dissolve a state legislative assembly. The new constitution, under article 101 (R), allows the president to dissolve the state legislative assembly and fire elected governors. The president can also declare war and a state of emergency without the prior approval of parliament.
NCP South Sudan office closes down as officials join SPLMThe opposition SPLM-DC said the Constitutional Review Committee dominated by the governing party process "delivered a one-party constitution tailored to fit the SPLM alone". It went further to say the dominant party even rejected the "meek proposals" of some opposition parties. The SPLM-DC went to accuse the ruling party of maintaining the institutions elected last year saying such decision dishonours the resolution of power sharing agreed during the "All Southern Sudanese Political Parties Conference" held in Juba in October 2010. The opposition party further says the adopted constitution "denies our people the federal system" by concentrating all the powers in Juba and allowing the President to relieve an elected governor or to dissolve a state legislative assembly. The new constitution, under article 101 (R), allows the president to dissolve the state legislative assembly and fire elected governors. The president can also declare war and a state of emergency without the prior approval of parliament.
The offices of the North Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in South Sudan have officially closed down on July 7, 2011 as senior officials of the party declared their collective defection to the South Sudan's ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) two days before the independence. Dozens of senior members of the NCP including Riek Gai Kok, the most senior advisor to President Omer Al Bashir, and a number of current ministers and former ministers of the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) on Thursday declared their defection to the SPLM. In a press conference hosted in Juba on July 7, 2011 by the minister of Information Barnaba Marial Benjamin and attended by several local and international media houses, Riek Gai Kok, who led the collective defection of the NCP officials in the ten states told the press that the timing was ripe to rejoin "my party" the SPLM.
Naivasha Agreement
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement on January 9 2005 was signed between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. It is also known as the Naivasha Agreement. The agreement was meant to end the Second Sudanese Civil War, develop democratic governance countrywide and share oil revenues. The southern rebels -- mostly Christian and animist -- and the mostly Muslim government signed a permanent cease. Both the government and the rebel group will not disband their armies under the agreement, and could return to war if they hit a snag along the road to peace.
In 1955, the year before independence, a civil war began between Northern and Southern Sudan. The southerners, anticipating independence, feared the new nation would be dominated by the north. Historically, the north of Sudan had closer ties with Egypt and was predominantly Arab and Muslim while the south was predominantly a mixture of Christianity and animism. These divisions had been further emphasized by the British policy of ruling the north and south under separate administrations.
In 1955, the year before independence, a civil war began between Northern and Southern Sudan. The southerners, anticipating independence, feared the new nation would be dominated by the north. Historically, the north of Sudan had closer ties with Egypt and was predominantly Arab and Muslim while the south was predominantly a mixture of Christianity and animism. These divisions had been further emphasized by the British policy of ruling the north and south under separate administrations.
Quick Facts of Southern Sudan
- Status: autonomous region of Sudan.
- Capital: Juba.
- President: Salva Kiir Mayardit (since 2005).
- Location: bordered by the Central African Republic, Congo, Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia, as well as the northern region of Sudan.
- Area total: 644,329 sq. km (29% forest).
- Population: 8,260,490 (Sudan Census, 2008).
- Population density: 13 per sq. km.
- Median age: 18 years.
- Literacy rate: 27% (males 40%; females 16%), persons 15 years and over.
- Poverty: Half the population live on less than the equivalent of $1 a day.
- Livelihood: Crop farming and animal husbandry are the main source of livelihood for 78% of households.
- Major cash crops: Sorghum, maize, rice, sunflower, cotton, sesame, cassava, beans and peanuts.
New Countries Since 1990
Since 1990, total 33 new countries have been created. The dissolution of the USSR and Yugoslavia in the early 1990s caused the creation of most of the newly independent states. You probably know about many of these changes but a few of these new countries seemed to slip by almost unnoticed. This comprehensive listing will update you about the countries which have formed since 1990.
Since 1990, total 33 new countries have been created. The dissolution of the USSR and Yugoslavia in the early 1990s caused the creation of most of the newly independent states. You probably know about many of these changes but a few of these new countries seemed to slip by almost unnoticed. This comprehensive listing will update you about the countries which have formed since 1990.
USSR Countries
After dissolution of the USSR in 1991 fifteen new countries became independent. These were:
1. Armenia
2. Azerbaijan
3. Belarus
4. Estonia
5. Georgia
6. Kazakhstan
7. Kyrgyzstan
8. Latvia
9. Lithuania
10. Moldova
11. Russia
12. Tajikistan
13. Turkmenistan
14. Ukraine
15. Uzbekistan
After dissolution of the USSR in 1991 fifteen new countries became independent. These were:
1. Armenia
2. Azerbaijan
3. Belarus
4. Estonia
5. Georgia
6. Kazakhstan
7. Kyrgyzstan
8. Latvia
9. Lithuania
10. Moldova
11. Russia
12. Tajikistan
13. Turkmenistan
14. Ukraine
15. Uzbekistan
Former Yugoslavia
After Yugoslavia dissolved in the early 1990s, five new independent countries emerge in the world map.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, February 29, 1992
- Croatia, June 25, 1991
- Macedonia (officially The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) declared independence on September 8, 1991 but wasn't recognized by the United Nations until 1993 and the United States and Russia in February of 1994
- Serbia and Montenegro, (also known as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), April 17, 1992 (see below for separate Serbia and Montenegro entries)
- Slovenia, June 25, 1991
New Countries come in the map :
- March 21, 1990 - Namibia became independent of South Africa.
- May 22, 1990 - North and South Yemen merged to form a unified Yemen.
- October 3, 1990 - East Germany and West Germany merged to form a unified Germany after the fall of the Iron Curtain.
- September 17, 1991 - The Marshall Islands was part of the Trust Territory of Pacific Islands (administered by the United States) and gained independence as a former colony.
- September 17, 1991 - Micronesia, previously known as the Caroline Islands, became independent from the United States.
- January 1, 1993 - The Czech Republic and Slovakia became independent nations when Czechoslovakia dissolved.
- May 25, 1993 - Eritrea was a part of Ethiopia but seceded and gained independence.
- October 1, 1994 - Palau was part of the Trust Territory of Pacific Islands (administered by the United States) and gained independence as a former colony.
- May 20, 2002 - East Timor (Timor-Leste) declared independence from Portugal in 1975 but did not become independent from Indonesia until 2002.
- June 3, 2006 - Montenegro was part of Serbia and Montenegro (also known as Yugoslavia) but gained independence after a referendum.
- June 5, 2006 - Serbia became its own entity after Montenegro split.
- Febraury 17, 2008 - Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia.
