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South Sudan Needs Strong Partnerships to Tackle 'Daunting' Challenges Ahead

South Sudan, which is just days away from becoming the world's newest country, will need to develop a broad set of partnerships - with the North, with its neighbours and its own people - to tackle the "daunting" challenges it faces, says Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

On 9th July, Mr. Ban and a host of foreign dignitaries will converge on Juba, the capital of the soon-to-be Republic of South Sudan, to watch the new nation raise its flag and inaugurate its first president, Salva Kiir.

Children of South Sudan practice their dance routine for the performance at the football match between South Sudan and Kenya during the independence celebrations of South Sudan on 9 July 2011. UN Photo: Paul Banks

South Sudan's independence follows a referendum held in January in line with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement - the 2005 accord that ended the decades-long North-South civil war in Sudan.

"For the more than eight million citizens of South Sudan, it will be a momentous and emotional day. Yet, nationhood has come at steep cost. When the assembled presidents and prime ministers board their official planes to return home, the challenges that remain will be daunting indeed." -Mr. Ban

On the day of its birth, Mr. Ban noted, South Sudan will rank near the bottom of all recognized human development indices, including the world's highest maternal mortality rate and a female illiteracy rate of over 80 per cent.

At the same time, he noted, South Sudan has remarkable potential, given its substantial oil reserves, huge amounts of arable land and the Nile River flowing through its centre.

Mr. Ban highlighted the need for the country's new leaders, first and foremost, to reach out to their counterparts in the Government of Sudan, stressing that strong, peaceful relations with the North are essential.

He noted that recent instability in Southern Kordofan and Abyei have strained North-South relations and heightened political rhetoric. "Now is the time for both the North and the South to think of the long-term benefits of working together, not short-term political gains at the other's expense," he said.

South Sudan must also reach out to its other neighbours, both in Africa and across the globe, the Secretary-General stated. It must also reach out to its own people.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, where he is on an official visit, Mr. Ban commended the leadership of both North and South for the progress they have made to date.

UN officials have highlighted the grave humanitarian impact of the fighting between northern and southern forces in Southern Kordofan that has displaced an estimated 73,000 people since it began a few weeks ago.

Haile Menkerios, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS) that is due to end on 9 July, urged both sides to "display the same leadership that allowed the end of the North-South war," to rapidly end this new confrontation, cease hostilities and resolve all pending disputes through dialogue.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the security situation in Southern Kordofan remains tense and volatile, with fighting reported near the main town of Kadugli every day over the past week.

While humanitarian agencies have access to Kadugli town, access to locations outside of Kadugli for aid activities is still being denied, it added. UN agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) are continuing to provide assistance where possible.

Source: United Nations