The Birth of the 54th African State

Afrofonia, 16 February 2011
A weekly programme of Vatican Radio, entirely dedicated to Africa. It goes on air every Wednesday on 105 FM and via the internet (channel 5) at 16:32.
The President of Sudan, Omar Al Bashir, has at last accepted the verdict of the polls and the birth of the new state of South Sudan, following the January referendum in which 98.8% of southern Sudanese voted for self-determination. The capital of South Sudan will be Juba and the official proclamation of independence is scheduled for July 9th this year. Salva Kiir, the current president of South Sudan, will be the interim Head of state, pending general elections.

Many challenges await the new country, the key one being the demarcation of the borders of Abyei state. Abyei is rich in oil, a resource that is instrumental in bringing in income that could be used to fight endemic poverty caused mainly by many years of war between north and south Sudan. The good news, however, is that north Sudan, the African Union and the international community have committed themselves to promoting peace and development in south Sudan.

But, the development of South Sudan is desired also by the Catholic Church and the international humanitarian organisations working in the area. This is the theme of this week’s edition of Afrofonia. The programme is presented by Marie Jose Muando Buabualo. We shall hear from Bishop Caesar Mazzolari of Rumbek Catholic diocese in South Sudan. He was interviewed by John Baptist Tumusiime.
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