A First Taste of Freedom for South Sudan

As South Sudan, the world’s newest country, prepares for its independence from Sudan on July 9, it is also likely to become the 193rd United Nations member when the General Assembly votes on the matter on July 14. People from all over the world are expected to join the official independence festivities in Juba, South Sudan’s capital, a day that will mark the culmination of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended Sudan’s 21-year civil war and gave the southern region a right to self-determination.