Chris Smith: “The people of South Sudan have endured two decades of wanton violence, rape, torture and hunger systematically imposed…”

“The people of South Sudan have endured two decades of wanton violence, rape, torture and hunger systematically imposed upon them by the Bashir dictatorship in Khartoum. More than 2 million people were killed, 4 million people displaced, and countless families decimated. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 ended the war and put South Sudan on the path to nationhood. Tomorrow, when the people of South Sudan emerge as the newest nation on Earth, tomorrow, when that dream is realized, Americans will join the people of South Sudan in celebrating this extraordinary hope-filled event. Yet recently at least 100,000 Sudanese have been displaced from the Abyei area, and tens of thousands of Southerners living in South Kordofan State have been recently forced from their homes, some of them murdered. So there are serious remaining challenges. Nevertheless, we hope and we pray that the people of South Sudan will finally live in peace and enjoy respect for their basic human rights and freedom. ____________________”