Choirs sing the national anthem of South Sudan at the Independence Day ceremony. Part of the lyrics include: “Oh God! We praise and glorify You for Your ... on July 9, 2011 | Credit | Samaritan Purse

The U.S government has given hope to South Sudanese leaders that the country’s challenges can be overcome.

This month, South Sudan celebrates its 10th independence anniversary gained on July 9, 2011.

Hopes ran high as South Sudan declared independence after decades of rule from Khartoum.

Former rebels — long leaders in the then semi autonomous territory — joined the new government and made grand plans for building a new state, with the support of international partners such as the USA.

But those hopes were largely dashed just two years into independence when the country plunged into a civil war in 2013.

President Salva Kiir and his Deputy Dr. Riek Machar’s troops fought against each other, until 2018 when they agreed to again work together in a peace deal.

The deal dubbed “Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan” largely updated a 2015 agreement that collapsed in 2016, sending more South Sudanese into refugee and internally displaced people’s camps.

A unity government has since been formed, but many reforms spelled out in the revitalized peace deal have yet to be accomplished.

As South Sudan marks ten years of independence this month, the UN says nearly 4 million South Sudanese remain displaced due to conflict and insecurity.

An estimated 1.6 million people are internally displaced. An additional 2.2 million South Sudanese are refugees in neighboring countries, making South Sudan the largest refugee crisis in Africa.

More than two-thirds of South Sudan’s population, or 8.3 million people, are estimated to need humanitarian assistance in 2021, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in May.

They include 8 million South Sudanese women, and 310,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the country.

Despite all these enormous challenges, the U.S embassy in Juba believes the country can get out of these challenges.

Larry E. André, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Juba draws examples from how the US overcame its post-independence troubles through “resolve, and unity.”

“While the country faces major challenges today, these challenges can be overcome by putting national interest before personal interest, by principled leadership, and by a strong sense of national unity, prioritizing South Sudanese identity while respecting the diversity that makes South Sudan so culturally rich,” Larry Andre said in a public statement on Saturday. 

As the US celebrates its 245th anniversary of independence today, Mr. Andre stated that the US remains committed to standing with the South Sudanese people as they work toward achieving their vision of peace, justice, equality, and prosperity.