South Sudan reflects on 10th anniversary

A statue of John Garang, the former leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army. AP

On July 9, the world's youngest country will turn 10. It has been a difficult decade for South Sudan. It declared independence from Sudan in 2011, after two civil wars. Only two years after independence, the country fell into another civil war, which is estimated to have killed almost 400,000 people, displacing nearly 4 million. Today South Sudan ranks 187th out of 189 on the Human Development Index, and 179 out of 180 on another leading index that measures public sector corruption.

The National has been reporting from Juba in the run-up to the anniversary, a time for the country to reflect on where it is now, and where it wants to be at the end of the next decade.

Ismail El Azhary, Prime minister of the Sudan, is shown (center) as he walked to Gordon Square, near the Governor's palace in Khartoum to make the formal proclamation of the Indepence of the Sudan. An agreement between Egypt and Britain in 1953 provided for liquidation of the Anglo-Egyptian administration and the determination on either union of the Sudan with Egypt or complete independence. The Sudanese decided on independence. Getty Images

Major General Joseph Lagu, Commander-in-Chief of the Anyanya forces and leader of the Southern Sudan Liberation Movement. Keystone Pictures USA / Shutterstock

Guerrillas of the Venom Army fighting the government troops in southern Sudan in 1971. Getty Images

Sudanese peace talks delegation leaders (from left) Mohamed Amin Kharifa, from Khartoum government, Kenya Foreign Affairs Minister Karonzo Musyoka and Cdr. Salva Kiir Mayardit from SPLA raise their hands together after signing of peace agreement between the Khartoum government and SPLA rebels of southern Sudan in Nairobi March 23, 1994. The agreement will allow relief aid to move freely by road, sea and air to the southern area hit by 11 years of civil war. Reuters

A Dinka mother, from a group who fled Bor, Upper Nile region some 13 years ago, carries her child from a truck as the first Dinka cattle herders, mainly vulnerable elderly, sick, women and children arrive in Juba, southern Sudan at a transit facility supported by UN agencies and NGO's in this picture released by UNICEF December 1, 2005. Reuters

Thousands of southern Sudanese line up to vote during the first day of voting for the independence referendum in the southern Sudanese city of Juba on January 9, 2011 in Juba, Sudan. Getty Images

Residents of Juba in South Sudan celebrate in the streets the birth of their new nation on July 9, 2011. AFP

A South Sudanese government soldier chants in celebration after government forces two days earlier retook from rebel forces the provincial capital of Bentiu, in Unity State, South Sudan. AP Photo

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, left, and opposition leader Riek Machar shake hands during peace talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopiam on June 21, 2018. AP Photo

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir stands with First Vice President Riek Machar as they attend a swearing-in ceremony at the State House in Juba, on February 22, 2020. AFP

South Sudan’s institutions are young. Many of them are still being built. In a region that struggles with poverty, political instability and severe environmental challenges, addressing the population’s basic needs is even more challenging. South Sudan continues to struggle with fresh memories of its conflicts. The country is comprised of 60 different ethnic groups, and building a cohesive system with fair representation across them is crucial to long-term stability.

The Nile water shouldn’t be a curse but a peaceful, God-given commodity

Deng Dau Deng Malek

Intertwined with painful memories of the recent past is South Sudan’s complex and previously much more adversarial relationship with its northern neighbour Sudan. Bitterness was justifiably acute when Sudan (including what is now South Sudan) was ruled by the Omar Al Bashir, who subjected his people to 40 years of oppression.

As Sudan goes through a political rebirth of its own, both countries have a chance profit from each other's success, and to move on from old ghosts.

At the same time, geopolitics in the region are growing more complex. An ongoing dispute over Ethiopia's plans for a vast hydroelectric dam on the Nile to support its development has raised tensions with Sudan and Egypt, both of whom are reliant on the river.

South Sudan, plagued by unreliable power and water issues that range from drought to flooding, has its own plans to build a Nile dam. Given the war of words over Ethiopia’s dam project, another megastructure to regulate the Nile may seem like an exhausting prospect. But if managed responsibly, it could become the example neighbouring powers need as they attempt to strike an understanding. In an interview with The National, Deng Dau Deng Malek, the country's deputy foreign minister, outlined how the region should view the river: “Nile water shouldn’t be a curse but a peaceful, God-given commodity to the region. With proper management and co-operation, the river can remain a blessing."

That sort of cautious optimism is a good place to start in any discussion of South Sudan’s ambitions. Its ten years of self-determination is a worthy occasion for celebration – long enough to instill confidence, and short enough that many opportunities remain on the horizon.