Southern Sudan faces new challenges

With the votes officially tallied from last month’s independence referendum, Southern Sudan is slated to become the world’s newest country in just over five months. But now the fractured region faces a new set of challenges.

Southern Sudan needs far more than its own currency and a national anthem. The future capital, 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.

There is also a rising debate about the location of the capital itself. Many people in the Lakes State are supporting a proposal to move the new capital to Ramchiel for its historical significance, proximity to a water source and central location.

“It’s almost in the middle and people will have equal access to that area,” said Marko Chol Machiech, Lakes State Political Advisor and chairman of the State Referendum Taskforce

And the list keeps going: A country name must be chosen. Diplomatic missions need to be opened. Critical negotiations still must be held with the north to decide on citizenship rights, oil rights and even the final border demarcation.

Decades of 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.

Listen to report by Kelsea Brennan-Wessels: