South Sudan Independence: United States Recognizes New Nation

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Saturday recognized the Republic of South Sudan, the world's newest nation, as a sovereign and independent state.

President Barack Obama said in a statement that, "This historic achievement is a tribute, above all, to the generations of southern Sudanese who struggled for this day."

South Sudan became independent after civil wars that spanned more than 50 years. Millions of people died in the conflicts as the black African tribes from the south battled the mainly Arab north for independence. The warring sides reached a peace deal in 2005.

The country's flag was officially raised for the first time over Juba, South Sudan's capital, on Saturday after the speaker of the legislature made a formal proclamation of independence from Sudan..

Obama said the people of South Sudan and Sudan "must recognize that they will be more secure and prosperous if they move beyond a bitter past and resolve differences peacefully."

"Lasting peace will only be realized if all sides fulfill their responsibilities," he said.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the U.S. will remain a "steadfast partner" as South Sudan seeks to build a free, democratic and inclusive society.

"The strong ties between our peoples go back many decades, and we are committed to continuing to build on the partnership we have already established in the years ahead," she said.

Clinton commended the government of Sudan on its decision to be the first to recognize South Sudan's independence.

Comments

[Si1ver1ock]

04:30 PM on 07/09/2011

America seems to be deliberately breaking countries apart. Is Libya next?

[General Public]

02:58 PM on 07/09/2011

This is nice, but couldn't South Sudan come up with a more creative name for itself than "South Sudan"? There already is a Sudan. They should come up with a cooler name, like Freedomland, Awesometopia, or the Democratic Republic of Greatestcountryever.

[gurukalehuru]

02:34 PM on 07/09/2011

Oil and a few other minerals www.gurukalehuru.com

[gurukalehuru]

02:33 PM on 07/09/2011

Let's be optimistic for the moment, because we won't have that chance later. This is all about oil.

[fixxer81]

02:52 PM on 07/09/2011

Isn't everything in your life about oil? I guess the French Revolution was also about oil. Funny how the CIA-Oil companies managed to coarse a whole nation to fall in their trap.

[gurukalehuru]

03:26 AM on 07/10/2011

Coarse is not a verb.

[adamben]

01:59 PM on 07/09/2011

long live nubia!!! welcome back.

[rumblingspire]

01:51 PM on 07/09/2011

i wonder what natural resource they have for exploitation?

where is my google?

[rumblingspire]

01:53 PM on 07/09/2011

"In recent years, a significant amount of foreign-based oil drilling has begun in South Sudan"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudan#Oil

[fixxer81]

02:53 PM on 07/09/2011

Good, they'll have money like Dubai etc. I hope they use it to crawl out from the Dark Ages.

[huffrajA1]

01:39 PM on 07/09/2011

Well said by ' yavuz ' . ' South Sudan ', was created, for Control of it's OIL. Iraq is about Oil & Israel. Afghanistan is about OIL & Bases.( Pipelines & Central Asian oil ). ISRAEL is the BIGGEST monetary beneficiary , from US Citizens tax money, a Parasite and a Burden on the U.S. South Sudan will Get ' Assistance ', BUT at a PRICE. The OIL Companies will control them. Sooo much for Independence !!

[adamben]

01:49 PM on 07/09/2011

actually, sudan itself was an artificial entity created by the british and ruled by egypt. the south is christian and animist and the north, which is arab/muslim, treated them like slaves, and did enslave them. they had a lull in the fighting but when the north decided to convert the to islam then they restarted the civil war, ending in independence. oil fueled the conflict and made the north even more genocidal, with a lot of help from the chinese.

however, it seems to me that you ignore the southerners desire for dignity, which is priceless.

[rumblingspire]

02:01 PM on 07/09/2011

oil will not bring them dignity.

[Cacey]

01:38 PM on 07/09/2011

A short message to all those posters criticizing the US and of course, the President and UN for recognizing this new nation and comitting to assuring its soverignty as it progresses to a full Democracy, remember, some nations had to recognize us when therere was little chance that we would make it and some nations had to give us a lot of help. If we have to, let's hope they have a better memory of who helped them than we in the US have had.

[MountPanic]

01:02 PM on 07/09/2011

That's terrific.

When can we recognize the Southern United States as a new country?

[adamben]

01:50 PM on 07/09/2011

they tried that and we defeated their perculiar tradition of slavery; is that what you want to bring back?

[MountPanic]

03:03 PM on 07/11/2011

They're still fighting that war. If we cut them loose and let them stand on their own ideas they'll have only themselves to blame for their self-destruction. When they come crawling back it will be with the appropriate sense of shame and failure.

[rumblingspire]

01:58 PM on 07/09/2011

when will those with french names reclaim their territories west of the Mississippi?

[NorCalSurfer]

12:46 PM on 07/09/2011

Awesome!
When do we start the invasion?

[adamben]

01:50 PM on 07/09/2011

we don't need to; they are non-arab/muslim and on our side.

[RockmanRotties]

12:25 PM on 07/09/2011

I dont support UN but I am happy for South Sudan. God bless Earth. (Not America) :)

[CenaW]

11:56 AM on 07/09/2011

They did correct the title of this article. . . .

[db025]

11:34 AM on 07/09/2011

Geeze! Another mouth for the U.S. tax payer to feed!

[glace]

12:09 PM on 07/09/2011

Oh no don't worry we already have a wealthy taker: Israel. I forgot, that does not bother you guys to give some welfare to Israel.

[3daywkend]

01:27 PM on 07/09/2011

Another antisemitic lefty heard from

[adamben]

01:51 PM on 07/09/2011

and that has what to do with this article?

[adamben]

01:51 PM on 07/09/2011

since they have oil we won't need to.

[Ron Joy]

11:33 AM on 07/09/2011

Just another place for the U S to go to war to help out others

[Joseph Van Der Putten]

12:39 PM on 07/09/2011

Congratulations! Consider the possibilities: another country to invade, build bases, get oil !

[adamben]

01:52 PM on 07/09/2011

wow, i think people need to read a little history before they post. yes they have oil, but we are already there working with them, as are the chinese oil companies.

[commonsensepost]

11:32 AM on 07/09/2011

The Sudanese have a rich history of:

(a) Humanitarian respect for human dignity
(b) Ecologically sensitive development of their vast natural resources
(c) Genocide
(d) Terrorism
(e) a and b
(f) c and d

If you pass this test, you know how this story ends. Time to line up people in advance to blame. I would say colonial Europe, but I cannot pass up the opportunity to blame Bush for more stuff. He had no connection here? Lack of blame has not stopped people on HP from blaming him in for all sorts of other things! G0d forbid we ever hold people responsible for their actions and outcomes!

[CenaW]

11:57 AM on 07/09/2011

Your post makes no sense at all, did you know that?

[commonsensepost]

01:59 PM on 07/09/2011

To you it does not, but you probably answered (e) to the post above. Wrong. Hope you didn't do so badly on your SATs if you even went to college, lol!

[BartRoberts]

01:36 PM on 07/09/2011

"G0d forbid we ever hold people responsibl­e for their actions and outcomes!"

You mean like his bankrupting the country with his two illegal wars and simultaneous tax breaks to his uber-wealthy partners in crime?

[commonsensepost]

01:58 PM on 07/09/2011

Get over yourself. Still blaming Bush for all your failures in life?

Did you know there was a democratic congress that proposed those budgets and paproved them? Do you blame them too? No, because you are a demagogue.

And you freely excuse Obama who has expanded the wars, started a new one, wasted $1 trillion on a useless pork barrel stimulus bill and maintained the tax brakes you deride. Do you have any problem with that? No, because you are a demagogue.

30 years from now you will be telling your grand kids about how everything is Bushes fault and they will just laugh at you saying you are losing it. Only we know you have already lost it!