S Sudan leader pledges peace on independence anniversary

Kiir hailed a ‘new spirit of dialogue’ among political rivals and said the transitional government would focus on economic reforms and improving security

JUBA: South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir made a pledge for peace on Friday as the country marked 10 troubled years of independence, with little cause to rejoice in the face of chronic instability and a deep hunger crisis.

At midnight on July 9, 2011, raucous celebrations erupted as the world’s youngest nation was born and the people of South Sudan cheered the end of a decadeslong struggle for separation from Sudan. But the revelry was shortlived.

Just two years later South Sudan was at war with itself, the task of nation-building forgotten as its liberators tore the country apart, dashing expectations of a glittering future.

Close to 400,000 people died and four million were displaced before a ceasefire was declared in 2018.

Today the country is more fragile than ever, beset by looming starvation, political insecurity, economic ruin and natural calamities.

“I assure you that I will not return you back to war again. Let us work altogether to recover the lost decade and put our country back to the path of development in this new decade,” Kiir said in a televised address marking the milestone.

He hailed a “new spirit of dialogue” among political rivals and said the transitional government would focus on economic reforms and improving security.

But on Friday, there was none of the jubilation that greeted statehood, save for a fun run through the capital that attracted some 10,000 people and was cheered by Kiir’s nemesis and now vice-president Riek Machar.

“We must keep the peace alive,” said Machar. “Today we have promised that we are all one South Sudan.”

Kiir had warned this week that the cash-strapped state was in no position to celebrate, blaming international sanctions for keeping prosperity out of reach.

South Sudan is reeling from economic chaos, with soaring inflation and a currency crisis, and faces its worst hunger crisis since independence.

— Reuters South Sudanese people pose ahead of the 10th anniversary of the country’s independence, in Juba, South Sudan.

— Reuters South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir addresses the nation as it marks the 10th anniversary of independence, at the State House in Juba, South Sudan.