Tags:
Journalism of Courage
On Saturday,the mood in Juba was euphoric. The city,the worlds newest capital,was crammed with citizens of the hours-old Republic of South Sudan,dancing on the streets,waving the young countrys flag.
Outside the mausoleum of John Garang,the leader of the regions military resistance for decades till his death in 2005,delegates from all over the world assembled to see the first government sworn in including Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari. South Sudans new president,Salva Kiir,was sworn in,as always wearing a broad-brimmed black cowboy hat; close at hand was Sudans president,Omar al-Bashir,wanted for war crimes in The Hague,but present,swinging his trademark cane,to show that Khartoum had finally consented to the Souths independence.
What South Sudan has going for it is its resources. Specifically,oil. Oil-rich Abyei province continues to be disputed,but the rest of the country has productive wells,currently exploited by Canadian,Malaysian,French,Swedish and,of course,Chinese companies. The only way out for the oil,however,is pipelines through its northern neighbour,and Khartoum skims off half the profit. That will continue to be an irritant. Nevertheless,the oil revenue will need to be put to use carefully and quickly to work on the now peaceful countrys development.
