of the long-awaited independence began in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, at midnight last night local time.
Frenzied people poured into the city streets, dancing, banging drums, waving flags and chanting the name of Salva Kiir Mayardit, the President of the new nation.
As a countdown clock in the city centre reached zero, the new national anthem of South Sudan, which became the 193rd country in the world and 54th UN member state in Africa, was played on television, marking the culmination of the January independence referendum.
According to AIR a host of foreign dignitaries, including India’s Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon attended celebrations in Juba.
India has pledged $5-million development assistance to South Sudan for capacity building projects such as vocational training centres and rural technology parks.
Talking to newspersons on board the special aircraft, Vice-President Ansari said the African countries would gain from India’s experience.
Mr. Ansari said India’s presence at the historic occasion in Juba, reflected its age-old ties with Sudan in particular and Africa as a whole.
Sudan on Friday extended official recognition to South Sudan, calling it an independent state. Minister of Presidential Affairs Bakri Hassan Saleh said in a statement broadcast on state television, “The Republic of Sudan announces that it recognises the Republic of South Sudan as an independent state, according to the borders existing on January 1, 1956.”
He said the Government of Sudan was committed to implementing the comprehensive peace agreement and to resolving all the post- referendum issues.