Malta gives recognition to South Sudan

Malta joined several countries over the weekend in recognising South Sudan as an independent and sovereign state, through a diplomatic note sent by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

South Sudan, which flew its flag for the first time on Saturday, amid massive celebrations in the capital city Juba, will be the 193rd member of the UN and the 54th UN member state in Africa.

“The government of Malta expresses the strong hope that the independence and integrity of the Republic of South Sudan will be respected, and that any outstanding issues with the Republic of Sudan will be resolved in the framework of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, exclusively through peaceful negotiations,” the ministry’s press release, issued yesterday, said.

The note verbale was sent to South Sudan’s Ministry of Regional Cooperation and said Malta recognises the country as a sovereign and independent state, complying with all the commitments subscribed to in the UN’s charter.

The birth of South Sudan comes after five decades of civil war between the black African tribes of southern Sudan and the predominantly Arab north. Some two million people were killed during the second civil war which lasted from 1983 to 2005, when a peace deal was reached which led to South Sudan’s independence declaration.