South Sudanese citizens, international dignitaries and the world's newest president swarmed the new country capital of Juba on Saturday to celebrate the birth of a nation.
South Sudan became the world's newest country Saturday with a raucous street party at midnight.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and dozens of other world leaders were in attendance under a blazing sun as South Sudan President Salva Kiir hosted a noon-hour ceremony. Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, a deeply unpopular man in Juba, arrived to a mixture of boos and surprised murmurs.
"Wow, this is a great day for me because it's a day that reflects the suffering that all southerners have had for almost 50 years," said David Aleu, a 24-year-old medical student.
Thousands of South Sudan residents thronged the celebration area, and organizers soon learned they did not have enough seats for all the visiting heads of state and other VIPs. The heat was strong enough that Red Cross workers attended to many people who fainted.
"We're overwhelmed. We did not know that the whole world was going to join us in our celebration," he said.
A Southern Sudanese soldiers stands at attention during the national anthem during an independence rehearsal procession in Juba, southern Sudan on Thursday, July 7, 2011. The Government of Southern Sudan is making lavish preparations to celebrate its declaration of independence from the north on Saturday, July 9th. The south's secession comes after decades of brutal civil war between north and south that resulted in more than two million deaths, most of which were southerners. (AP Photo/Pete Muller) CloseThe black African tribes of South Sudan and the mainly Arab north battled two civil wars over more than five decades, and some 2 million died in the latest war, from 1983-2005. It culminated in a 2005 peace deal that led to Saturday's independence declaration.
Thousands of South Sudanese poured into the ceremonial arena when gates opened. Traditional dancers drummed in the streets as residents waved tiny flags. Activists from the western Sudan region of Darfur, which has suffered heavy violence the past decades, held up a sign that said "Bashir is wanted dead or alive." Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur.
"We came to say welcome to our brothers from the south. We came also to remind the world that the problem in Darfur is continuing," said Nimir Mohammed.
The leader of the U.S. delegation, Susan Rice, the American ambassador to the U.N., was expected to send greetings from the world's oldest democracy to the world's newest state.
China — which has a big interest in Sudan's oil — sent a delegation. Uganda President Yoweri Museveni — South Sudan's southern neighbor — was among the many African leaders.
South Sudan is expected to become the 193rd country recognized by the United Nations next week and the 54th U.N. member state in Africa.
Though Saturday is a day of celebration, residents of South Sudan must soon face many challenges. Their country is oil-rich but is one of the poorest and least-developed on Earth. Unresolved problems between the south and its former foe to the north could mean new conflict along the new international border, advocates and diplomats warn.
Violence has broken out in the contested border region of Abyei in recent weeks, and fighting is ongoing in Southern Kordofan, a state that lies in Sudan — not South Sudan — but which has many residents loyal to the south. The 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) north-south border is disputed in five areas, several of which are being illegally occupied by either northern or southern troops.
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