Malawian president pledges to support South Sudan
By Julius N. Uma
January 26, 2010 (JUBA) – Malawian president, Bingu wa Mutharika on Wednesday pledged his country’s full support towards South Sudan, regardless of the outcome of the self-determination referendum concluded nearly two weeks ago.
Before his arrival to Juba, Bingu wa was in Khartoum where he discussed with President Omer Al-Bashir the successful conduct of the southern Sudan referendum and the Darfur conflict.
The referendum, whose preliminary results indicate a possible split between north and south Sudan, is a key requisite of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended over two decades of a bloody civil between the two regions.
Mutharika, also current African Union (AU) Chairman said, although it was still too premature to pronounce the outcome of the vote, the organization and its member countries will fully abide and respect the final verdict of the widely peaceful exercise.
“I want to assure all of you that whatever the people of Southern Sudan decide as the final outcome of the referendum will be supported”, the Malawian leader said, flanked by President of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit.
The independence of the south, he added, will be faced with enormous future challenges, citing food insecurity, lack of basic social services and poor infrastructure.
“Having said this, I feel these challenges should not only be handled by Southern Sudanese, but it should involve the active participation of all stakeholders,” he said, adding that unity and cooperation should be at the forefront of the southern government’s agenda.
Last year, Mutharika attracted lots of media attention during the AU summit in Kampala, Uganda where he openly condemned the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its issuance of arrest warrant for Sudanese President, Omar Hassan Al-Bashir.
A PhD holder in Development Economics, the Malawian president, prior to his current position formerly worked with the United Nations and also served as Secretary General for Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), among others.
(ST)
Stephen kuach
Malawian president pledges to support South Sudan
South Sudan will need a lot of support from its neighborhood countries,the government should first setup the infrastructures,sewages,all the local streets within the capital cities should be pave up nicely along with the highways.
Mr. Long John
Malawian president pledges to support South Sudan
Nyachebe,
Your comment is very procedural, I wish you were doing this to the GOSS assembly and not to a foriegn President. Lets us learn on how to solve things first within us and lets avoid the culture of spreading raw things can easily be solved within . Relate this to a quarel that emerged between two spouse. Do they have to call the neigbour before their trial or do they have to sit first? We have been baptised by Arabs as poeple who can not rule themselves and this happened because of the attitude of selling things out that are meant for household. You should mention strategic ministries like Road and transport———— if you were so realistic. Home is better then far away!be reminded.you are extending the insult posted by the Arabs. lets be true sons/daughters who can rule and who can be ruled.
Thanks