A new nation was born on the African continent over the weekend, the Republic of South Sudan. People across the previously war-torn region were celebrating in the streets, but it will be a long road ahead.
The nation of South Sudan resulted from the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between the north and south in January 2005. One of the tenets of the CPA allowed for a referendum for people in southern Sudan to vote on whether they wanted to stay part of the north or break away from it. The vote for secession took place in January of this year and the citizens of southern Sudan voted a resounding YES!
While the people of the south are jubilant over the formation of their own country, the very thought of secession in Khartoum does not make very many happy. The south contains the majority of Sudan’s oil and gas reserves, of which both sides rely on heavily for revenue to bolster their economies.
When the economic reality of secession hits the north it will take cool heads to keep the peace between the two countries. There have already been threats to shut down the export pipeline that takes the south’s oil north for export.
And while it will take time to implement renewable energy reform, Sudan has a vast amount of solar energy potential as well as hydropower from the Nile. Solar cookers have hit several villages and other companies like Tideland Signal Ltd. have begun using solar energy to light the country.
Suggested reading:
South Sudan as the World’s Newest Nation and the Effects
South Sudan Looks to Exploit Hydropower Potential
Sudan Checks into Nuclear Power
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