S. Sudan requires strong foreign relations with neighbours
July 07, 2011 (JUBA) – As South Sudan prepares to attain nationhood on Saturday, a senior official has advised the current leadership to focus on strengthening stronger ties and relations with countries that have recognised the new country’s independence in an interview with Sudan Tribune on Thursday.
“Since 2005, President Salva Kiir Mayardit has been engaged in strengthening Southern Sudan’s foreign policies with all its neighbours in order to establish good relations with these various countries,” said Luot, formerly the political and foreign policy adviser to the South Sudan Defense Force (SSDF) leadership during the Juba declaration.
South Sudan is due to become independent following a successful self-determination referendum in which its population overwhelmingly chose separation. The vote was a key part of Sudan’s 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which ended over two decades of war between North and South, in which two million people died.
At the forefront of this, Luot said, should be a “sustained effort by the southern leadership to ensure South Sudan’s integration” into the East African community, currently comprising of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. This he added, was essential in promotion the economic interests of the new nation.
He lauded Riek Matcher, South Sudan’s Vice-president and James Wani Igga, the Speaker of South Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA) for what he described a their “able leadership and commitment” exhibited in the last five years of CPA implementation.
A programme released by government for the 9 July celebrations indicates that the SSLA speaker will be tasked with proclaiming the independence of the new nation; becoming Africa’s 54th and the world’s 193rd country (according to UN membership).
Kiir, it says, will later be expected to sign the new transitional constitution, once Sudan’s flag is lowered and that of the new Republic of South Sudan RoSS is raised before taking an oath as the President of RoSS.
Also expected to grace the event will be a 21-gun salute, a parade of 1,500 people, made up of officers from the military, army, police, prison service, wildlife service and fire brigade.
(ST)
Mike Mike
S. Sudan requires strong foreign relations with neighbours
Chuol, You can be worry about the foriegn relation with other countries that are neighbours to our state, meanwhile there is a big problem within the government of south Sudan itself. Talk on how the government is going to solved all the problems which are facing it’s now and after we have seen all are solved then that is where you will seek for foriegn relationship. Even though you have good relationship with other people and you are not having good relationship amongst yourselves as brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers still you may not feel confortable of having free normal live at your own state. Let,s solve all our problems first and from there we extended it to others but we can’t talk of foriegn relation when we don’t have good relationship among ourselves we Southerners.
mathem jech amer
S. Sudan requires strong foreign relations with neighbours
Shut up !!!
You have nothing to advise on…. just mare malitia man terrorizing South Sudan supporting Khartoum cause.. When did you realized that you are part of South Sudan while during strugggle you were fighting a long side Khartoum and use as a tool?
We only accept advice from people like Joseph Lagu who were in Khartoum for a reason BUT NOT supporting them.
Kuek
S. Sudan requires strong foreign relations with neighbours
Mathem Jech,
Our brothers’ have striped themselves naked of a shame.
Their only believe is that it was their prophet Ngundeng who make independent achievable. They did not know that it was the very blood of their brothers that they spilled that cause them to have this independent day.
They our brothers are really a medium of laughter sometimes when you encounter their shameless debute on what a History of South is.
Thank God, we will be the very one to write the South history and he who will be offended will has to just swallow his anger.
Bush
S. Sudan requires strong foreign relations with neighbours
Don’t look for peace from out side, it doesn’t exit in Europe, America or Asia, it exists internally in you.
Don’t make your house look beautiful only from the out side but make clean from the inside too.