The Next New Country?

This morning I received a tip off from one of my ‘sources’, saying that the creation of a new nation was imminent and that they had already decided on a flag. It predicted that Southern Sudan would soon achieve independence from the rest of Sudan.

However after a bit of research it looks like this is just the ‘official’ call for full independence and the region will decide by referendum in 2011. So it’s now a surveillance brief on the situation, to keep an eye on developments.


States and Territories information from the Times Universal Atlas of the World.

* Sudan gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1956.
* Sudan's north and south fought over differences of ideology, ethnicity and religion; the southerners are largely Christian and followers of traditional beliefs whilst northern Sudan is mostly Muslim.
* The vote on whether to break away from Sudan came as part of a 2005 peace deal with the north that ended decades of civil war.
* Two million people were killed and 4 million were displaced in the conflict between 1983 and 2005.

Sudan at Collins Maps.
Further information from BBC News and The New York Times.