What will independence mean to South Sudan

By the time you read this, our brothers in Juba will still be in a party frenzy after having officially become Africa’s newest nation. The years of war between the predominantly Arab North and the Christian South have finally resulted in the division of Africa’s largest country into two nations. In several media outlets it has been referred to as the 54th African nation, while The East African newspaper (July 4-10) referred to it as Africa’s 56th state in its editorial column. I will assume that this was not a typo from the guys at Nation House but a pointer to the fact that Somaliland and Puntland also deserve to take their spot as recognised African states since they long declared their autonomy from mainland Somalia. This being an East African themed column, allow me to congratulate my brothers and sisters of Southern Sudan who have endured years of untold suffering at the hands of their Arab brothers on this incredible achievement. East Africa has always supported the independence of South Sudan, and so this is an achievement that makes many of us proud. The people of Southern Sudan are in indeed our brothers, as they share a common heritage with their brothers in Northern Uganda and Kenya all the way to Kisumu on the shores of Lake Victoria. With the already massive trade links between South Sudan and the East African nations, the talk of this new nation joining the East African community eventually has never been a secret. However before we get to the finer details of how they can join the community, we need to step back and acknowledge the challenges this new nation faces and how it can be helped to find its feet. Even before the independence party could begin, the oil-rich-but-disputed region of Abyei was already experiencing skirmishes between the North and South. We have also heard of the fighting in the Southern Kordofan state. All these go along in proving that even with independence finally here, many crucial issues are yet to be ironed out or else the relations between Khartoum and Juba will be undermined further. With 80 per cent of the oil reserves, South Sudan is in a tricky situation considering that all the pipelines head north where the oil refineries are located. The new country’s Transport Minister, Anthony Lino, recently pointed out that they are toying with the idea of pumping the oil towards Kenya which has an oil refinery at Lamu port. With a land mass almost three times the size of Uganda as well as enormous oil and gas reserves the management of this country is going to be the test of its independence. The people of Sudan will have to devise ways of not just having their independence on paper, but also finding ways of controlling their resources so as not to be dependent yet very rich. As has been the case in most African countries, the colonialists or former exploiters often just change the form of exploitation. The poverty levels in Southern Sudan as well as the lack of significant infrastructure are likely to make the work of the exploiters much easier. With China seeking to satisfy its huge (dragon) appetite for resources at a time when the US, Europe and the rest of Africa are also in need for more of the same, the road is not going to be easy for South Sudan. The process of charting a new and prosperous future for South Sudan keeping the exploiters in check is definitely not going to be an easy one. My prayer is that South Sudan does take the disastrous path of so many resourced African nations like DRC, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, or Angola. In the above countries, the vast resources have only benefited a few locals as the rest wallow in poverty. Huge appetite nations like China and the US are always just happy to see these nations in disorder as this sets the pace for unfair trade terms. We can only hope that South Sudan takes an organised path that fosters regional peace and development. In other words independence should be more than just a change of capitals, anthems or national currency. Good luck my brothers. ssenyonga@gmail.com