South Sudan voted on a referendum to separate and create the newest State in the world. The referendum is part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that, in 2005, ended a civil war the north and the south
had been fighting since 1983. The north, mostly Arab and muslim, has always wanted to dominate the south, made up of black Africans with traditional beliefs mixed with christianism, and which has more fertile lands and is rich in oil resources.
had been fighting since 1983. The north, mostly Arab and muslim, has always wanted to dominate the south, made up of black Africans with traditional beliefs mixed with christianism, and which has more fertile lands and is rich in oil resources.
Independence will be full of challenges for Southern Sudan, which will automatically become one of the poorest and lest developed countries in the world. After 22 years of civil war, maternal mortality is the highest in the world and the infant mortality is among the highest, whilst most of the population cannot write or read. With almost no roads in the country, the between 8 to 10 million Southern Sudanese make up about 500 tribes who speak over 100 languagesand are spread all over an area bigger than France. There is no clear national conscience apart from the oppostion against the north and conflicts between tribles, often armed, are common.