The birth of a new nation

by Editor · January 5, 2011

The peace of a large part of Africa is on the knife edge as the people of South Sudan prepare to vote on the independence of their region in the referendum scheduled for January 9. The best-case scenario involves a mostly free and fair poll in favour of South Sudan�s independence from Africa�s largest country, with the regime of General Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum not interfering in the process � especially in the border regions where it already is playing dangerous political games � and accepting the results.

Politics are rarely as easy as that, and yet there are good reasons why Khartoum might benefit from letting the mainly Christian and animist South go its own way, despite its wealth in natural resources. The two newly configured countries might well begin a new relationship of potential mutually economic benefit, in an atmosphere of stability and reconciliation after 22 years of hostility and civil war.

The January 9 referendum is the culmination of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended decades of civil war that killed more than half a million people. Should the integrity or the outcome of the referendum be compromised by Khartoum, a revival of armed hostilities would seem inevitable. The cost to Khartoum, whose jihadist regime has turned its genocidal attentions to Darfur and elsewhere since the CPA was signed, would be severe. But it is a whole region that would be destabilised by a resumption of armed hostilities. There would be no winners.

The international community, especially its African component, must be alert to this. Its even hand has not always been evident in the past, with the South being induced to make concessions which its leaders believe contravene the CPA, only because it is easier to squeeze the South for compromises than it is to confront Khartoum.

Should things go awry, then the culpability for that most likely will reside in Khartoum, or its client militias. In that event, the international community�s response must be mindful of this.

While the people of the South will doubtless celebrate independence from Khartoum, the hard work must begin immediately. The first challenge will be to build a nation. To accomplish that, the new state will need to function as a democracy, and its leaders and population will have to receive preparation in democratic governance (the Southern African Church already is engaged in that endeavour).

Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio warned last month in an interview with Catholic News Service: �While ordinary people think [that independence means milk and honey], the politicians are only thinking of having power and the riches it can bring.� It must be impressed upon such politicians that corruption will be intolerable, and the citizens must be trained to demand accountability from them.

Expectations for a successful transition to democracy will be high, but it won�t come easily. As a multi-cultural society, South Sudan will have to guard against tribalism, and as a country rich in natural resources, it must exhibit zero tolerance for corruption. As a new democracy living in the neighbourhood of several countries and enclaves run by ruthless kleptocrats, it must fortify itself against power grabs by those who seek to enrich themselves. The international community must provide South Sudan�s democratic institutions with the necessary support and tools to maintain the new country�s integrity.

The Catholic Church has done much to help bring peace to the region�it was the only institution to remain with the people during the civil war � and is doing much now to prepare South Sudan for democracy. Our Church of Southern Africa has contributed immensely to that.

The Church in South Sudan has promoted a 101-day prayer for peace campaign. It is not only an appeal to God, but also as a concrete way of changing hearts and minds towards the peaceful conclusion of the struggle for independence. It has been adopted by loc