South Sudan – Independence 2011
Photos from the 8th until the 9th of July 2011
Place: Juba
South Sudan history and today:
After the withdrawal of the British colonial power from Sudan in 1956, the African South was controlled by the Arab North. This desision was made without asking the Southern Sudanese. The South felt opressed by the North and therefore took up arms.
16 years of heavy fighting left half a million dead and brought autonomy statute to the South.
In 1983 Sudan was declared an Islamic state under Sharian law. This also applied to the South who was mainly Christian Animalistic. Together with the embezzlement of oil by the northern government it led to a war for independence.
During these two wars around four million people were displaced.
The war was ended in 2005 when both parties signed an agreement called "Comprehensive Peace Agreement" (CPA) or "Naivasha Agreement". The CPA included eight different protocols/chapters stating that unity should be the main goal to achieve for both parties. After six years a referendum should be hold in order to ask the Southern population whether they want an autonomy statute or prefer to separate and become independent.
In January 2011 the referendum was hold and 99% opted for an independent state. Due to diplomatic pressure the Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir accepted the vote.
As South Sudan set the date for Independence on July the 9th 2011, heavy conflicts broke out at the border around the unsettled region of Abyei. The conflict spread over to other regions like the Nuba mountains. In addition local authorities along with western NGOs accused the northern government to support militias, fighting for more political influence in the South.
Due to the unstable situation and other problems, South Sudan has been labeled as a "failed state", even before it became independent. It is a country with undefined borders to it's north and south and without a working infrastructure. Many areas are unreachable during rain season. Even within the capital Juba most of the people depend on generators or even candles and fire. In most areas water comes from drilling holes, often far away from the villages and most of the goods are imported from Uganda or Kenya. Three quarters of the population are illiterates and many don't have enough to eat.
The new nation totally depends on the international community. There's already a huge NGO presence in South Sudan, which makes local authorities care less about their official duties.
In opposite to these effects the elite of the country shows a tremendous optimism. Everyone in Juba is doing business. The Vice President Riek Machar announced that he's going to mobilize 500 billion dollar for infrastructure projects within the next five years. Gold rush fever has broken out but tends to leave the simple people in rural areas out. Within Juba a very basic two-room accommodation costs around 600 dollar. People are willing to pay the prices as they believe by doing so they will gain as much or even more. Investors face a liberal market with lax or unapplied regulations.
Independence Day:
Presidents from all over the world were invited to join the celebration. Condoleezza Rice (U.S. Ambassador to the UN) together with Colin Powell (present at the signing of the CPA in 2005) led the US delegation. South Sudanese officials found themselves in a delicate situation as Omar Al-Bashir announced he will attend the celebrations. As Al-Bashir is charged for genocide and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, western officials will avoid any chance to meet him. The invitation was a signal of good will from the Southern President Slava Kiir and it was intended to hand over the old flag to al-Bashir at the ceremony. But the days before 9th of July, Slava Kiir decided to keep the flag "in memory of the countries past".
Other international guests included: Ban Ki-moon, Catherine Ashton, Jacob Zuma, Robert Mugabe, Yoweri Museveni, Hamid Ansari.
The ceremony was perfectly planned even though the schedule was changed about three times in the week before. The construction at the stage went on until the late night on independence eve. The next morning, the ceremony was delayed for about two hours. As a consequence many soldiers and citizens collapsed as they were standing in the sun for hours.