"A struggling African town gets ready to be a world capital; Challenges await Southern Sudan, soon independent" by Jason Straziuso, Associated Press / February 8, 2011
JUBA, Sudan — In a little more than five months, Southern Sudan will become the newest country....
How come they get to be one but Kashmir does not?
Most of its roads are dirt, and even aid workers live in shipping containers....
Juba is oil-rich but lacks the embassies and skyscrapers of other capitals. It had only a mile or two of pavement just a year ago, and the local archives are stored in a tent. Many, though, see great potential and are excitedly looking forward to controlling their own destiny....
Who wouldn't?
Two decades of war between the predominantly Muslim north and rebels in the Christian-animist south killed at least 2 million people before a 2005 peace agreement was reached.
No more of that please.
Decades of war and poverty have kept Southern Sudan in a decrepit state. Its 8.7 million people live in one of the world’s least developed regions. The United Nations says a 15-year-old girl has a higher chance of dying during childbirth than of finishing school. An estimated 85 percent of the population is illiterate.
Adding to the challenges, the prices of some everyday goods like sugar, soap, and cooking oil have increased by more than 50 percent in recent weeks.
A new currency must be established, diplomatic missions opened, and a country name chosen. Negotiations still must be held with the north to decide on citizenship rights, oil rights, and the final border demarcation.
Yesterday, Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir said he wanted to be the first to congratulate the south. His remarks seemed designed to help ensure a continuous flow of oil through the pipelines in the north....
The State Department is reviewing its designation of Sudan as a sponsor of terrorism, now that the African nation has accepted the outcome of the independence referendum....
Don't want them cutting off that oil.
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And where there is oil....
"Fighting in southern Sudan kills 100 " by New York Times / February 12, 2011
KAMPALA, Uganda — Fresh battles between renegade soldiers and the southern Sudanese military in recent days have left more than 100 people dead in southern Sudan, sending tremors through a heavily militarized region that only days ago celebrated the final results of a referendum to separate from the rest of the country.
The southern Sudanese military clashed Wednesday and Thursday with hundreds of rebel fighters loyal to a renegade general, George Athor. The fighting killed 105 people in the state of Jonglei and broke a one-month armistice. The military said yesterday that the fighting had dissipated, but it remained unclear how long the calm would last.
The fighting comes less than a week after official results of the southern referendum were announced, with more than 98 percent of the nearly 4 million voters choosing to separate from northern Sudan after decades of civil war.
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Getting out while the getting is good:
"Sudanese president says he won’t run again" by New York Times / February 22, 2011
NAIROBI — President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan, who has been in power for more than 20 years and faces international charges of genocide, will not run for office again after his current term ends in four years, a Sudanese government spokesman said yesterday.
Bashir seized power in 1989 in a military coup and has ruled with an iron fist ever since, crushing or trying to crush rebellions across Sudan. But now, said Rabie A. Atti, a government spokesman, Bashir “has no will to be a president again.’’
“He said the chance should be given to the next generation,’’ Rabie said. “He will work to establish a real democratic system in our country.’’
Rabie said the decision — and timing — had “nothing, nothing at all’’ to do with the popular revolts against longstanding autocrats erupting across the Arab world, which have inspired relatively small but spirited protests in Sudan as well.
Related:
"About 200 students in Sudan protested outside Al Nileen University in Khartoum but were beaten back by squads of police officers, Reuters reported. Opposition figures blame the government for rising food prices and a crackdown on press freedom"
The only one I saw reported in my Globe.
“In Egypt, there was a gap between the rulers and the people, but not in our country,’’ Rabie said. In Sudan, he said, the rulers “live with the people.’’
Bashir won a presidential election last year that outside observers said was tainted by fraud, intimidation, and bribery.
Looks like your standard election anywhere on the planet to me.
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