South Sudan Becomes World's Newest Nation Sudanese in Kansas City celebrate birth of South Sudan

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By JAMES HART Rebecka Goup (left) led members of the Kansas City area's Sudanese community in song Friday evening. About 60 supporters gathered at Grace Church of the Nazarene to celebrate the birth of the Republic of South Sudan, the world's newest

On Saturday, after decades of guerrilla struggles and intense international pressure, the Republic of South Sudan will officially split off from the north and become Africa's 54th country. Andrew Burton, Associated Press UN Secretary General Ban
South Sudan on the eve of its independence. Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

South Sudan will become the world's newest country on Saturday as it declares its independence. In anticipation of an uneasy transition to statehood, the United Nations authorized sending 7000 troops and 900 police on Friday to help

The United States isn’t the only nation whose independence is being commemorated this month in Kansas City.

On Friday night, scores of Sudanese living in Kansas City gathered at Grace Church of the Nazarene to celebrate the birth of the Republic of South Sudan.

“To finally have an independent, free nation is a blessing from God,” said Robert Kori, who came to the United States 12 years ago. “We’ve waited a long time for this.”

In January, the people of South Sudan voted to split from the country’s northern region, which is mostly Arab, after decades of fighting and oppression. The most recent civil war started in 1983 and ended in 2005 under a peace deal brokered by the international community.

Despite the heat, many of the men came to the church on Independence Avenue in their best suits, while the women wore dresses made from traditional African prints. They planned to pray for the Republic of South Sudan and, shortly after midnight, sing the new country’s anthem.

CNN coverage of today’s independence celebrations — South Sudan is about eight hours ahead of Kansas City — was going to be projected on a screen in the church’s sanctuary.

“We’ll be here until the wee hours of the morning,” said Joey Condon, a pastor at Grace Church.

The congregation has plans to hold regular worship services for Old Northeast’s Sudanese community.

Kori, who is now a U.S. citizen, has thought about returning to South Sudan, but he probably won’t do so for five or six years. That’s how long he thinks it will take the new country to find its feet.

“You can’t achieve that overnight,” he said.

Experts say South Sudan is one of the world’s most underdeveloped nations. Only 15 percent of the population is literate. The new country is roughly the size of Texas, but it only has about 30 miles of paved roads

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