193 COUNTRIES BRO: South Sudan becomes the world's newest country; all world maps are now wrong - Polidicks

An hour ago, the clock passed midnight in UTC+3. And you know what that means? There is a new country on the map. [img]http://imgkk.com/i/k63i.png[/img] The Republic of South Sudan today becomes an independent state, peacefully breaking off from Sudan. Or at least, as peacefully as it was ever going to be; the two countries are already at each other's throats over the disputed border region of Abyei. [img]http://imgkk.com/i/rr08.png[/img] North and South Sudan have never really been the best of chums; in fact, in the last fifty years they've fought two civil wars which resulted in around 2 million deaths, and one of the highest civilian death tolls since World War II. This all goes back to when Sudan was a British colony. Britain invaded in 1898, and at the time, Egypt was quite keen on the idea of unifying itself with Sudan. Britain feared that the countries united could pose a threat to their rule in Africa, so they did everything they could to stop it from happening. In 1924, they split Sudan into two separate administrations: a mainly Muslim, Arabic-speaking and Arabic-cultured north, and a mainly Christian, English-speaking, culturally sub-Saharan south. To ensure the two sides would never unite, they encouraged the two groups to stay separate and not to trade with each other, or learn the language of the other side. The Sudanese people wanted reunification though, and in 1946 Britain finally granted it. They made Arabic the new official language and everything was fine. Except everyone in the south spoke English, and the two sides had massive cultural differences. The south's crazy English babblings kept them out of government, and so the north quickly got to work oppressing them. Britain's response to the plight of the south was to grant the country independence and leave. The first civil war started just before the country actually become independent, and continued for 17 years. 500,000 people were killed. In 1972, the Addis Ababa Agreement was signed, ending the civil war. A South Sudan administration was established, giving the region a degree of autonomy. The peace held until 1983, when a second civil war broke out: an even larger one, this time killing 1-2 million people. In 2005, the sides signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement, ending the second civil war. The CPA promised an independence referendum in South Sudan. It also made Abyei, a disputed border region, a part of both North and South Sudan, and promised a separate referendum on what should happen there as well. The government of Sudan proceeded to dick about for a few years, and for a while it almost looked like there might be a third civil war, but in January 2011 the referendum was finally held. 98.83% of South Sudanese voters approved independence, with a 97.58% turnout. This was supported by independent opinion polls, and the result isn't in question. It was an [i]enormous[/i] landslide, and the government promised to honour it. The date for independence had been set beforehand, and a six-month transition process began. The status of Abyei is a point of great contention, as it carries a major Sudanese oil pipeline, has oil reserves of its own, and has historically always been an anomaly in the north-south dispute. Abyei's referendum has been postponed indefinitely, so it remains a part of Sudan for now. In May, soldiers from the two sides clashed in Abyei, at this point still legally a part of both territories. There was an intense battle involving tanks, shelling and bomber aircraft, and the north seized control. The south declared it an act of war, and the UN had to deploy 4,200 peacekeepers to Abyei to prevent a full-scale war. The peacekeepers will remain there for at least six months, and hopefully Abyei will gets its independence referendum. [img]http://imgkk.com/i/g4p7.png[/img] So now here we are. All world maps are now wrong, two new African countries are on the brink of war, and the post of Most Badass President now has a new contender. [img]http://imgkk.com/i/m3tv.jpg[/img] [img]http://imgkk.com/i/qakw.jpg[/img] [img]http://imgkk.com/i/mh1b.jpg[/img] What a guy. All rise for the national anthem. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnpeIVZ8cOM[/media] I'll throw in a BBC News article for good measure. There are a lot of good graphics and stuff in the original article too, so I'd check it out. [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14089843[/url] [quote=BBC News][b]South Sudan has become the world's newest nation, the climax of a process made possible by the 2005 peace deal that ended a long and bloody civil war.[/b] Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are among the international dignitaries attending the celebrations in the capital, Juba. Sudan earlier became the first state to officially recognise its new neighbour. The south's independence follows decades of conflict with the north, in which some 1.5 million people died. Under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, a referendum was held on independence, which was favoured by more than 99% of voters. The new country is rich in oil, but one of the least developed countries in the world, where one-in-seven children dies before the age of five. Unresolved disputes between the north and south, particularly over the new border, have also raised the possibility of renewed conflict. [b]'Brotherly relations'[/b] The celebrations in Juba began at midnight (2100 GMT), when the countdown clock in the town centre reached zero and the new national anthem was played on local television. South Sudan became the 193rd country recognised by the United Nations and the 54th UN member state in Africa. The BBC's Will Ross in Juba says the new country's problems are being put aside for the night, and there is an air of great jubilation. People are in the streets, cheering, waving South Sudan flags, banging on drums, chanting Mr Kiir's name, and honking their vehicles' horns, our correspondent adds. Earlier, Sudan's Minister of Presidential Affairs, Bakri Hassan Saleh, announced that it recognised the "the Republic of South Sudan as an independent state, according to the borders existing on 1 January 1956", when Sudan gained independence from Britain. President Bashir, who agreed the 2005 peace deal with the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), has pledged his support to South Sudan and said he wants the new country to be "secure and stable". "We will bless our brothers in the south over their country and we wish them success," he said earlier this week. But he warned that "brotherly relations" depended on secure borders and non-interference in each others' affairs. There had been fears that war could resume after recent fighting in two border areas, Abyei and South Kordofan, which has forced some 170,000 people from their homes. But separate deals in recent weeks, and the withdrawal of rival forces from the border, have calmed tensions. The UN Security Council has passed a resolution approving a new 7,000-strong peacekeeping force for South Sudan - but this is basically a rebranding of the force which was already in Sudan, mostly in the south. Khartoum has said their mandate would not be renewed, leading the US to argue that the 1,000 UN troops should be allowed to remain in South Kordofan. The 1,000 troops in the disputed town of Abyei are to be replaced by 4,200 Ethiopian soldiers. [b]Challenges ahead[/b] The two sides must still decide on issues such as drawing up the new border and how to divide Sudan's debts and oil wealth. Analysts say the priority for Khartoum will be to negotiate a favourable deal on oil revenue, as most oilfields lie in the south. At present, the revenues are being shared equally. Khartoum has some leverage, as most of the oil pipelines flow north to Port Sudan on the Red Sea. Citizenship is also a key issue which has not yet been decided. A new law passed by the National Assembly in Khartoum has withdrawn Sudanese citizenship from all southerners. As many as 10 million people could be affected, including southerners who live in the north, those in South Sudan, and those who live abroad. The BBC's James Copnall in Khartoum says it is not immediately clear how the northern authorities will define a southerner, nor whether their definition will match South Sudan's. The UN refugee agency, the UNCHR, has urged both governments to prevent statelessness. There are also lots of individuals with ties to both states, our correspondent adds. President Bashir has ruled out dual nationality for southerners, though he said their rights would be protected. A senior northern official also said there would be a nine-month transitional period for southerners in the north to sort out their status. The UN estimates there are still more than one million southerners in Sudan, particularly around Khartoum. More than 300,000 others have gone back to South Sudan since November, and more are likely to follow. Our correspondent says keeping both the north and the south stable long after the celebratory parties have ended will be a mighty challenge.[/quote] [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudan]Wikipedia article on South Sudan[/url]

Does this mean that I could still have a potential future gun running?

Hooray for new countries.

Google maps hasn't updated yet, everything is wrong.

Hell yes Now I have to throw out all my world maps and buy new ones

God dammit, now my globe is wrong. [QUOTE=smurfy;30995984] [img]http://imgkk.com/i/qakw.jpg[/img][/quote] This is who our black president should be. Wait. The South seceded from the North? That's the complete opposite of the American Civil War's outcome. Obviously this new state is un-American, and, by logical reasoning, is Communist. Looks like America just found its newest enemy.

I can't really take that guy seriously with the hat, it's still awesome though but he looks like the average african "kill everything including my own people" dictator IMO [editline]9th July 2011[/editline] When I think about it it's kinda nice with unique looking politicans, although africa has had too many unique "politicians" over the years.

[QUOTE=GhostG45;30996247]God dammit, now my globe is wrong. This is who our black president should be.[/QUOTE] Oh the republicans would have a mouth full.

[img]http://imgkk.com/i/mh1b.jpg[/img] There's gold up in them hills

Very awesome news, hopefully they can keep a solid peace from now on. Oh, and thanks BRITAIN. Assholes.

With a president that looks like that, I predict good times.

Fuck and I just bought a map.

Awesome stuff. This along with all the turmoil in the Mid-East makes me really feel like I'm living in a very important time, historically speaking.

My oh my, a new country? And with an awesome-looking president too! It is interesting day for North Africa.

[img]http://gyazo.com/851c4544fc7681228e9bf72076d7b735.png[/img] "Stay thirsty my friends."

Wow that's pretty cool. So are they just named North and South Sudan?

[QUOTE=BackflipHatchetAttack;30996730]Wow that's pretty cool. So are they just named North and South Sudan?[/QUOTE] Nope, North Sudan is still just called Sudan :v:

Now how will I pass my map test? [video=youtube;IDtdQ8bTvRc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDtdQ8bTvRc[/video]

Mmmmm, Historic. There's a guy at college who's obsessed with maps. Thank god College is over now or we'd never hear the end of it :v: I hope it all goes well for them anyhow.

[img]http://i.cubeupload.com/QIy2bz.jpg[/img] And it used to be a nice neighbourhood!

[QUOTE=Mr.Goodcat;30996864]Now how will I pass my map test? [video=youtube;IDtdQ8bTvRc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDtdQ8bTvRc[/video][/QUOTE] That video is still wrong - he missed out that Korea is two countries!

[QUOTE=MrEndangered;30996962]That video is still wrong - he missed out that Korea is two countries![/QUOTE] Crete is also it's own country apparently.

-Snip, just in case this counts as an image macro. :v:-

Our president needs to be that black. No, wait, he needs to be blacker. He needs to be so black even his motorcade gets pulled over for no reason.

[QUOTE=theenemy;30996985]Crete is also it's own country apparently.[/QUOTE] And Transylvania too.

Well hope south will become a strong and wealthy country.

[QUOTE=MrEndangered;30996962]That video is still wrong - he missed out that Korea is two countries![/QUOTE] Yet he managed to get both Yemens, and on that map Korea is still in 2.

North Sudan is Best Sudan.

I still remember Zaire..

South Sudan has so far [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_recognition_of_South_Sudan]been recognised by two countries![/url] :v: In the coming days that will of course expand quite rapidly Ironically, Libya has specifically ruled out recognising the country, even though the Gaddafi government itself has only limited recognition