South Sudan's day of freedom dawns

JUBA: Celebrations erupted across Juba at midnight as crowds marked South Sudan's long-awaited independence day on Saturday, when the chronically underdeveloped region became the world's newest nation.

"The people of south Sudan have achieved their dream. The UN and the international community will continue to stand by South Sudan. I am very happy to be here," UN chief Ban Ki-moon told reporters on arrival at the city's UN airport on Friday.

Last-minute preparations have been taking place throughout Juba in anticipation of a historic ceremony due to be attended by 30 African leaders and top-ranking foreign officials.

It will be the largest international gathering ever seen in Juba, a war-damaged former garrison town on the White Nile that lacks even basic infrastructure, including reliable power, water and sewage systems.

On the eve of independence, which comes exactly six months after a referendum saw southerners vote almost unanimously to split with their former civil war enemies in north Sudan, Khartoum announced its official recognition of the new country.

For decades, until a peace agreement was signed in 2005, southern rebels fought two wars with successive northern governments for greater autonomy and recognition, leaving the region in ruins, millions of people dead and a legacy of mutual mistrust.

Saturday's main ceremony is to be held at the mausoleum of the late rebel leader John Garang, who died just months after signing the peace accord that ended African's longest-running conflict and opened the door to eventual nationhood.

Military parades, prayers and a performance of the new national anthem are to take place from 0815 GMT, followed by the declaration of independence, the raising of the Republic of South Sudan's flag and the new country's first president, Salva Kiir, taking the oath of office.

Southern officials have said the chief guest of honour at the celebrations will be Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has already said he will try to avoid an encounter with Bashir.

But the fledgling nation needs all the help it can get to overcome the vast challenges of building a stable and prosperous future.

For this, it must strike a cooperative relationship with the Sudanese leader, given the strong ties that continue to bind the two countries, and despite the strain on bilateral relations caused by the deadly conflict in the border state of South Kordofan.

North-south negotiations in Addis Ababa, aimed at disentangling the key unresolved issues between the two sides prior to partition, such as the future status of Abyei, how to manage the country's oil sector and citizenship, have so far failed to do so.

This means the talks between Juba and Khartoum must continue.

"I know secession is painful, emotionally and financially... While the people of north and south Sudan will soon live in different countries, their future will be closely linked," Ban said in Khartoum on Friday after meeting Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Karti.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011