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SOUTH SUDAN / SECOND INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / SECOND INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS
TRT: 3.00
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS
DATELINE: JULY 09, 2013, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
JULY 09, 2013, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Wide shot, cameraman filming crowd
2. Med shot, crowd gathered at the John Garang mausoleum
3. Various shot, march-past by various military entities
4. Wide shot, onlookers
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Salva Kiir, President, South Sudan:
“The resilience and courage that we have cultivated during the days of our liberation struggle is an expression of our common hope to build shared future for all the people of South Sudan. It is a hope that is based on the principles of freedom, self-reliance, progress and justice for all.”
6. Wide shot, dignitaries listening
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Salva Kiir, President, South Sudan:
“We would be at a different juncture on the path of national building had we not been derailed by the loss of our natural source of revenue in 2012. In response to the shutdown of oil, the government implemented austerity measures – that resulted in the postponing of many development projects.”
8. Med shot, guests
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Salva Kiir, President, South Sudan:
“We still urge Sudan to work with us towards full and unconditional implementation of those agreements and as well the final status of Abyei. The people of Abyei have suffered and continue to suffer due to the unwillingness of the Sudan government to resolve the issue. This issue cannot pend indefinitely. The people of Abyei deserve a final resolution.”
10. Wide shot, crowd
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Salva Kiir, President, South Sudan:
“I have not forgotten you. I am au cannot afford aware many of you cannot afford a meal everyday. I am aware that many mothers who struggle to feed their household of twenty people with less than twenty pounds every day. I am aware of the SPLA soldiers whose salary cannot meet all your needs you struggle to pay your house bills. These scenarios can change and will change my people.”
14. Wide shot, Dignitaries standing while national anthem is playing
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered at national celebrations to mark South Sudan’s second Independence Day celebrations at a ceremony led by South Sudan’s first President Salva Kiir, and attended by presidents from Somalia, Botswana, Rwanda and Uganda and numerous dignitaries from the diplomatic coup.
At the national celebrations which took place the John Garang mausoleum in the capital Juba, President Kiir announced that the country’s freedom would never be reversed despite the challenges being experienced. The untold suffering of South Sudanese people had laid an important foundation in achieving freedom they now enjoyed, President Salva Kiir said in Juba.
SOUNDBITE (English) Salva Kiir, President, South Sudan:
“The resilience and courage that we have cultivated during the days of our liberation struggle is an expression of our common hope to build shared future for all the people of South Sudan. It is a hope that is based on the principles of freedom, self-reliance, progress and justice for all.”
South Sudan became independent from Sudan on 9 July 2011, six years after the signing of the peace agreement that ended decades of warfare between the north and the south. Over the past two years, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has been assisting the country in consolidating peace and security and helping to establish conditions for development.
The common theme for the day was “Towards effective nation-building and prosperity for all” with the day being marked across 10 states with military parades, speeches, singing, dancing and sports.
President Kiir noted that South Sudan had faced several challenges since independence, like insecurity in Jonglei State, reports of human rights violations by the national army, the oil shutdown and consequent austerity measures, making economic development difficult.
SOUNDBITE (English) Salva Kiir, President, South Sudan:
“We would be at a different juncture on the path of national building had we not been derailed by the loss of our natural source of revenue in 2012. In response to the shutdown of oil, the government implemented austerity measures – that resulted in the postponing of many development projects.”
He urged the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) to demonstrate professionalism and nationhood, adding that no soldier would be allowed to commit human rights abuses with impunity.
Despite the challenges, the country had also witnessed significant achievements, the president said. These included the enactment of nine bills and laws, opening of four mobile operators, and the planned inauguration of Bentiu oil refinery, scheduled for August this year.
His main priorities in 2013 were boosting agriculture, mining and other non-oil sectors as well as developing infrastructure, including an alternative pipeline, to support economic development, the president said. Other priorities included improving basic services like education, health and water for the rural poor.
He said other than ensuring that the Cooperation agreement signed between Sudan and South Sudan was implemented, issues surrounding Abyei needed a final resolution.
SOUNDBITE (English) Salva Kiir, President, South Sudan:
“We still urge Sudan to work with us towards full and unconditional implementation of those agreements and as well the final status of Abyei. The people of Abyei have suffered and continue to suffer due to the unwillingness of the Sudan government to resolve the issue. This issue cannot pend indefinitely. The people of Abyei deserve a final resolution.”
Kiir also told his people he was aware of their efforts,
SOUNDBITE (English) Salva Kiir, President, South Sudan:
“I have not forgotten you. I am au cannot afford aware many of you cannot afford a meal everyday. I am aware that many mothers who struggle to feed their household of twenty people with less than twenty pounds every day. I am aware of the SPLA soldiers whose salary cannot meet all your needs; you struggle to pay your house bills. These scenarios can change and will change my people.”
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General Hilde F. Johnson also attended the celebration. In a press release issued by UNMISS yesterday, Johnson assured South Sudanese people that the global commitment of the mission and UN towards the country remained robust.
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