One year ago, on July 9th 2011, South Sudan became an independent nation. The secession from Sudan was marked with huge celebrations in the capital city, Juba, and around the country. More than 400,000 people poured into South Sudan from Sudan, all hopeful that their lives would be improved, that peace was a reality, and that prosperity was within reach. Declarations from the new country’s leaders were that a new and better era had finally dawned.
It was a false dawn. The world’s newest nation has stumbled through a tumultuous first year. Disagreements with Sudan over the demarcation of the border between the two countries have spilled over into numerous spates of violence and resulted in huge refugee populations. The distribution of oil and related revenues has been another flashpoint, resulting in conflict between the two armies in the oilfields at Heglig. Ethnic tensions have been rife, allegations of corruption widespread, inflation rampant, and many regions have been teetering on the brink of famine, with half of the population now in need of food aid. The town of Wau, where Kids Alive International works with street children, was once notoriously described as being “miserable under the best of circumstances”. This depiction could be applied to describe South Sudan’s first year as an independent nation.
As South Sudan reaches its first birthday, please join us in praying for the country, in particular:
Posted on July 9th 2012