JUBA, Sudan — In a little more than five months, Southern Sudan is slated to become the world’s newest country, and this mud-hut town will earn a promotion to world capital. But Southern Sudan needs far more than its own currency and a national anthem: Most of the roads here are dirt, and even aid workers live in shipping containers.
Final results from last month’s independence referendum announced Monday show that 98.8 percent of the ballots cast were for secession from Sudan’s north.
Juba is oil-rich but lacks the embassies and skyscrapers of other world capitals. There was only a mile or two of pavement here just a year ago, and the local archives are stored in a tent. No one is quite sure how many residents Juba even has. After the 2005 peace accord, people began flooding into the town. Ad hoc settlements sprang up around the city, then expanded as the city ballooned. The settlements have no roads, electricity or sewage.
Many, though, see great potential and are excitedly looking forward to controlling their own destiny.
Entrepreneur Soloman Chaplain Lui, 42, is overseeing construction of 160 apartments and hotel rooms on a rocky bluff overlooking Juba. The country’s largest swimming pool sits here, though its water is murky. He points toward empty fields where he hopes to one day build a mall and a golf course.
“As I talk to you now, there are many people flowing here,” he said. “A new country is being born.”
Two decades of war between the predominantly Muslim north and rebels in the Christian-animist south killed at least 2 million people before a 2005 peace agreement was reached. Residents are jubilant to have their own country at last, though much work remains.
War and poverty have kept Southern Sudan in a decrepit state, and its 8.7 million people live in one of the least developed regions in the world. The U.N. says a 15-year-old girl here has a higher chance of dying in childbirth than finishing school. About 85 percent of the population is illiterate.
Adding to the challenges, the prices of some everyday goods such as sugar, soap and cooking oil have increased by more than 50 percent in recent weeks.
“The roads are so poor in many places that we have very high food prices,” said Athai Peter, 25, as he stood at a job-advertisement board outside a U.N. agency Monday.
A new currency must be established. Diplomatic missions need to be opened. And a country name must be chosen.
Critical negotiations still must be held with the north to decide on citizenship rights, oil rights and even the final border demarcation.
Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir, backed the final results Monday and said he wanted to be the first to congratulate the south on its new state. His remarks seemed designed to help ensure a continuous flow of southern oil through the pipelines in the north. About 98 percent of Southern Sudan’s budget comes from oil revenue.
U.S. President Barack Obama also congratulated the people of Southern Sudan for “a successful and inspiring” referendum and said he intended to formally recognize the country as a sovereign, independent state in July.
