From today onward, the Republic of South Sudan would be
196th country in the world, the 193rd member of the UN,
and the 54th country in the continent of Africa. The celebration
has three important components: rising of the flag for the
new Republic of South Sudan, debut the interim constitution
for new nation and national anthem for new nation. It is a birth
of the nation being witnessed by the world similarly
to signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)
that was concluded on January 9, 2005 in Kenya.
It is the first time in the history of Southern Sudanese to vote for their desires as it was the case of referendum in January 2011 and government’s election in April 2010. It is the first time in the history of Southern Sudanese to elect their own son to become a president; it is the first time in the history of South Sudan to have national constitution to govern and guided executive branch, legislative and judiciary systems. It is an inspiration that the ordinary people of South Sudan voted by more than 98% in favor of independence, which concluded the CPA interim period from January 9, 2005 to July 9, 2011, as celebrations has intensified in Winnipeg, across Canada and around the world.
Our history of struggle to free ourselves from decade of Arab-domination and enslavement from the Khartoum’s malpractice dates back to 1820-2011; which is 191 years of struggle for freedom. That struggle for freedom have been championed and accomplished by the marginalized communities in different forms and at different regions that claimed 2.5 millions of lives and displaced 4.5 million Southern Sudanese around the world. As South Sudan has gained its legitimate recognition internationally today, southerners will automatically earn their denied rights, human equality and dignity among citizens regardless of race, religion, region, colour, political association, culture, gender, as well as freedom of expression, freedom of speech and right to vote as it was the case in the referendum that resulted into independence on July 9, 2011. The referendum was one of the most transparent and credible elections as attested by the international community. Today, July 9, 2011 marks a complete Independent South Sudan as our celebration has been ongoing in South Sudan and around the world. As today marks the end of prejudice and further journey of independent, southerners are screaming, shouting and waving the flag of new nation. The celebration of a newly born nation is a significant victory, which pave the way to inclusiveness: socially, economically, environmentally, culturally and politically.
The birth of South Sudan as a nation will lead to healing from the past among the citizens and together we will build the nation for all, where tolerance, equality, and respect of people’s lives and property are protected and promoted. Equally important, deprived and intimidated citizens in the past will become proudest citizens; with respect to their meaningful lives, eliminating of previous prejudices, practical realization of natural resources and respect to our ancestral land.
The post-referendum Issues:
The pending post referendum issues that are of great concern and important are as follows: Abyei referendum, questions of citizenship, national debt, security arrangements, oil and water sharing, border demarcation and international treaties. These issues are sensitive and could bring the parties back to war again as it was the case of Abyei’s invasion in May 2011. Currently, Sudan Armed Forces are present in Abyei although agreed upon security arrangement by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Ethiopia is underway to be implemented by the two parties. In the same CPA we are celebrating, Popular Consultations rights such as Nuba Mountain, Blue Nile and Kordofan are not finalized. As we are celebrating today, there is a high tension now along the border in the south and north. Despite an incomplete part of the CPA, we are expressing our excitement because we have gained independence or territory, which could be used as a base while pursuing remaining clauses. For centuries, we have not had an opportunity like this as we are now recognized continentally and internationally. So, we are proud with what we have and our demands for what have not been secured, as stipulated in the CPA document, is a non-stop demand because we are entitled to what mediators witnessed in 2005 agreement.
Khartoum’s Inherited Challenges:
Inherited challenges are unaccountable. These problems are not limited to lack of educational institutions, no electricity, debt or loan for billion of dollars with no benefits to South Sudan, no infrastructures: rails and roads and no running water in urban and rural areas. Khartoum created these barriers within the same nation as away to undermine and exploit South’s natural resources in the expense of northern development. The lack of development can be explained by the absence of well-designed modern buildings as well as limited opportunities to South Sudanese, whether individually or communally. Despite south’s richness of natural resources, we have not gained full control of our resources as it would be the case today onward, we never raised our flag in our mother land as it would be the case today and onward, we never had permanent infrastructures, we never had modern classrooms, we never had higher educational institutions, we never had well-equipped clinics or hospitals and we never had our own government. These challenges are multiples but less threatening compared to what we went through in 191 years when we were made slaves in our mother land; denied our rights, forced religion, second class citizens in our own mother land and denied freedom of movement in our own mother land. I am quite confident that, these challenges are manageable, the spirit and sacrifice that brought us along and claimed 2.5 million lives will make us endure and mitigate Khartoum’s inherited challenges. However, international community and international organizations’ worried were mounted before referendum elections about limited facilities and high illiteracy rate in South Sudan. For instance, in an article published by the Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 3, 2011 before referendum that titled ‘Sudan’s imminent divorce’reported that “according to United Nations Statistics released in advance of the election, 85 per cent of the people in Southern Sudan can not read. There is one teacher for every 1,000 primary school students. Southern Sudan has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world”. In that situation of southern of Sudan, I always disagree with some of terminologies such as a “reconstruction of war torn country”. There was nothing in the first place that was destroyed to be reconstructed. I would like to point it out to non-Sudanese who are not familiar with the situation of Southern Sudan that, what has been done by the ruling party SPLM in the GoSS for the last 6 years is far, far, far better than what was done by the Khartoum government for 55 years since independence of Sudan, despite its richness in natural resources such as oil in the South.
Reflecting on Bush life during 21 Years of Struggle for Freedom:
No doubt human beings ate grass in absence of food, eaten by wild animals easily, starved to death, untold massacres were committed by targeting civilians, depends on little ratio we carried on our heads, countless deaths related to thirst due to lack of water and in frontline lived and stayed in barricades full with water in rain season as well as snakes inside barricades in some instances. During those days of civil war, lives were quite miserable. We, somewhat went through post-trauma disorder with multiple physical disabilities incurred while carrying heavy artilleries, internal exploitation and unhealthy environment. I would not talk about killing, when we joined the Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) we were either to kill or to be killed by an enemy. Each of us received July 9, with different feelings, for those who know the gravity of suffering would celebrate July 9, as it is a unification of spirits for dead and alive who were separated by the course of freedom. I mean 2.5 million lives that were voluntarily sacrificed for the independence of South Sudan. For me, July 9, is a resurrection of 2.5 million people that lost their lives because of our freedom as we are shout and dance we praise our martyrs for what we have today because of their sacrifice. I called it a ‘resurrection’ because their sacrifice will be enjoyed by us and the next generations to come as our martyrs’ bloods have planted peace, eliminated assimilation, prejudice, forced religion, separation of state from religion, free constitution from Sharia Law for the first time in the history and introduction of development using our own resources for our own development.
Post Independence Expectations: Nation-Building
The nation-building should take action-planned endeavor; geared toward economic growth, rule of law, human rights protection, good governance, transparency, accountability, building of trades and secure borders with neighboring countries, embraces diverse cultures, building of public institutions to cater for war disables, war veterans, martyrs’ orphans, martyrs’ widows; indirect compensation for uprooted communities that suffered retaliation because of undefined visions and powers struggling grounded on sub-ethnic vs. sub-ethnic, friendly environment to prevent pollution/diseases and building of agricultural schemes to address food insecurity etc. Nation-building process was very slow for the last 6 years, due to inequitable share of resources between the north and south, lack of competitive capacity building to manage daily operations, as well as resistance from partner of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
I am appealing to Southern Sudanese in Diasporas to engage in a position criticism as to what can be done to change Southern Sudan’s situation instead of blaming one another. Southern Sudanese in Diasporas should know that development of South Sudan will not happen without their contributions, whether individually or collectively. It is our direct responsibility as citizens to contribute to the development of our newly founded nation as some of us contributed into liberation struggle. This is where citizenship as a responsibility will matter! The good news is that, nation-building will not take 2.5 million lives as it was the case of 21 years of civil war. We need to talk less and do much. The nation-building process can be achieved in different forms: it can be an individual’s successes translated into communities successes directly and/or indirectly. In this way, nation building will be achieved easily in the Republic of South Sudan. On the other hand, helping or educating your immediate relatives/communities will also lead to nation-building because of every individual that you invest in him/her will pass-on your generous help by investing on others unless he/she is selfish or suffering from an illusion. Otherwise, nation-building process has no formula! It is what you do and what I do, plus what others do and that can easily change South Sudan’s situation starting from tomorrow, July 10, 2011 onward.
In conclusion, the Republic of South Sudan is a nation today July 9, 2011 and will be a nation FOREVER! To my fellow country citizens, please rollup sleeves for the war of development. In short, we have reached a promised land! Last but not least, patriotism is putting a love of nation before you!
David Mabior Atem – Canada, Co-Founder for the Eye on Sudan: Working for Peace. He is an academia who openly and publicly advocate for South Sudan’s issues through Canadian government’s institutions. Atem work for The U of W as an Academic Advisor.
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