Independence: South Sudan rings with joy

UN mission in South Sudan will include 7,000 peacekeepers and 900 civilians tasked with helping the fledgling nation

JUBA, SUDAN: Just hours before south Sudan becomes independent, a mood of joyful expectation swept through its capital on Friday, with crowds dancing in the streets amid last-minute preparations for Saturday’s historic ceremony. World leaders started to arrive on the eve of independence, including UN chief Ban Ki-moon. He spoke after north Sudan officially recognised southern independence, in a statement read out in Khartoum by the minister of presidential affairs and broadcast on state television. The UN Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution creating a UN mission in South Sudan that will include 7,000 peacekeepers and 900 civilians tasked with helping the fledgling nation.



Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2011.