ON JULY 9, the country of Sudan will be formally partitioned and a new nation, the Republic of South Sudan, will be born. 

Residents who have come from Southern Sudan and now call Toowoomba home eagerly look forward to this historic day. 

After years of bitter strife and bloodshed in the longest civil war in Africa’s history, the country from which they fled as refugees will become the Republic of South Sudan – the newest nation on the globe.

Independence comes after an overwhelming vote in favour of partition in the referendum held in January 2011, when 98.3 per cent of the electorate voted for secession. 

The great hope of Sudanese people in the Toowoomba community is that the transition will take place peacefully. 

Chairperson of the celebration’s organizing committee, Malwal Mywin, said the formation of the new nation was the culmination of decades of hard work by many of his fellow countrymen and women. 

His hope is that “the Republic of South Sudan will become a great country marked by peace, justice and good governance.” 

He further hopes that the wealth obtained from the new country’s vast reserves of oil and mineral resources will provide education, universal healthcare and improved living conditions for all the people of the new nation.

Celebrations to mark the birth of this new nation will be held around Australia wherever Sudanese people have made their home. 

In Toowoomba, an ecumenical service to give thanks and to pray for the new nation will be held at St Anthony’s Church, Memory Street, on Independence Day, Saturday July 9, from 2pm to 4pm. 

Everyone is most welcome to attend. 

In addition, an Independence Party, open to all people in the Toowoomba region, is being planned for the near future. 

Details will be announced in the coming days.