The African Union will welcome the birth of an independent South Sudan, its chief said on Wednesday, as the region gears up for likely separation following this month’s historic referendum.
“Whatever the people of South Sudan decide, we will support,” said AU head and Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika, speaking alongside southern president Salva Kiir.
“South Sudan is a baby of the African Union, so I don’t know how a parent can have a baby and wait for someone else to tell them they have a baby,” Mutharika told reporters in the southern capital, after visiting Khartoum earlier in the day.
“Surely it will be useful for us to be the first ones to recognise the existence of South Sudan, and then let the others follow.”
An independence referendum this month was the centrepiece of a 2005 peace deal that ended a devastating 22-year civil war between the Khartoum government and southern rebels.
More than 98,8% voted for secession, according to partial results.
‘The future is bright’
South Sudan was left in ruins after decades of war with the north, but Mutharika expressed optimism that with “resolve and hard work” it could succeed.
“The future is bright; South Sudan is not a poor country,” Mutharika said. “The people may be poor … but you are not sitting on a poor country, but a rich one with lots of resources.”
Mutharika said the south would have the full backing of the rest of the continent to rebuild itself after the long years of conflict.
“With resolve you can turns things around … We will be there to do whatever we can to move forward,” he said.
“They are not challenges beyond our capacity, or beyond the capacity of the people of southern Sudan.”
Full preliminary results for the south are due on January 30, with final results to be announced on February 7, barring appeals. — Sapa-AFP