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    July 05, 2011

Bells, Ceremonies to Mark Birth of South Sudan

   VOA News
   Soldiers of the Sudan People's Liberation Army march during a rehearsal
   for independence celebrations in the southern capital of Juba, July 5,
   2011
   Photo: AP
   Soldiers of the Sudan People's Liberation Army march during a rehearsal
   for independence celebrations in the southern capital of Juba, July 5,
   2011

   The government of south Sudan has unveiled plans for the ceremonies
   that will mark the new country's independence on Saturday.
   The government is urging its citizens to gather in churches and public
   squares Friday evening to light candles and say prayers for the new
   nation.
   It says at midnight, bells will be rung across the country, marking the
   birth of the new nation, to be known as the Republic of South Sudan.
   The official independence ceremony takes place Saturday in the capital,
   Juba. The government says 3,500 people will attend, including 30
   African heads of state.
   A choir will sing the country's new national anthem, and then the head
   of the south's parliament will read a proclamation of independence.
   Southern President Salva Kiir will be sworn into office after he signs
   the country's new transitional constitution.
   South Sudan will become the 193rd country in the world and the 55th in
   Africa.
   Other events connected with the celebrations are a Saturday night
   concert in Juba, and a football match on Sunday between Kenya and the
   new southern Sudanese national team.
   The United States will be represented at the independence ceremony by
   the special U.S. envoy to Sudan, Princeton Lyman.

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