IN JANUARY, the Southern Sudanese sounded their aspirations for their homeland, loud and clear: independence. Millions took to the polls in a plebiscite on self-determination and the vast majority favoured splitting from the north.
The ballots came in from the South Sudanese in the country’s home states as well as those residing in the north and in many other countries. Jubilation over the peaceful secession vote followed two decades of turbulence in Sudan in what some call one of Africa’s longest civil wars.
Religious and ethnic tensions fuelled discord between the Muslim-dominated north and Christian-majority south, ravaging the country and leaving some two million dead. The Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) reached a peace deal in 2005, mandating the referendum.
Southern Sudan’s leaders plan to officially mark their nation’s birth this July, becoming the world’s newest country.
But even as they break free, many challenges remain for the population, including building national unity and developing the economy.
In addition, flashpoints persist among the southern ethnic groups. Some minority tribes say the Dinka and the Nuer, which dominate the SPLM/A, have no respect for them. Authorities managed to reach ceasefire and peace agreements during the referendum, but there are concerns about how long those will last.
They will now have to face their former foes in the north as neighbours, as they weigh pivotal questions
about borders and resources, particularly over the south’s oil production.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that both sides will have to find a sustainable solution that lays the foundation for long-term coexistence.
Meanwhile, some human rights advocates say the vote has diverted attention from Darfur, Sudan’s other ongoing, deadly conflict.
Benjamin Loyseau takes us to the south’s border and beyond for a look at the celebrated vote and the fragile future.