South Sudan: Four years and counting…
By Steve Paterno
The Republic of South Sudan has come long way through struggles to be a nation, among nations. However, it’s nationhood seems to be undermined by other nations, and internal strives. Despite all these, as of today, South Sudan can claim its right place among nations, capable of the following just like other nations do, and the list below are not in any way exhaustive:
1) South Sudan can defend its territorial integrity through all means possible. The country is ready to fight and defeat internal and external forces undermining its sovereignty and national integrity.
2) For those nations, particularly, the nations hosting South Sudan’s armed opposition, they must also be aware that South Sudan is capable to do likewise against them, with a very much devastating impact. Not only that, in some other cases, South Sudan can even overrun the prevailing regimes and instil a real democratic system among its neighbours who are misbehaving and interfering in internal affairs of South Sudan.
3) South Sudan as a member of nations has already trained and equip a unit of peacekeepers of a worldly standard to maintain global peace. Those South Sudanese peacekeepers are ready to be deployed anywhere in the world, where there are human rights violations such as in USA most affected cities like Washington, New York, Baltimore, Ferguson, Charleston, etc, where Black people are systemically gunned down by supposedly law enforcement agents, the police: American White police officers.
4) With abundance of natural resources, South Sudan is already contributing in a global economic export and import. Such potential is posed to continue drastically in sustaining South Sudan as a prosperous nations on planet earth.
5) South Sudan as a member of nations reserves an exclusive right to pursue bilateral or multilateral relationship with any nation or entity in this world or beyond. Therefore, the relationship South Sudan is building with all these entities will only grow stronger and sustain the Republic of South Sudan perpetually.
6) The resiliency of South Sudanese people is a fire that keeps the flame alive in sustaining the Republic of South Sudan as a nation, an independent nation.
As South Sudanese say, “Independence Oyee!, South Sudan Oyee!” The country, South Sudan is here to stay and prevail despite the odds.
Steve Paterno is the author of The Rev. Fr. Saturnino Lohure, A Romain Catholic Priest Turned Rebel. He can be reached at [email protected]