9 July 2014 - The South Sudanese people voted in the referendum to become “first class citizens” in their own country, but were now at risk of losing that freedom, President Salva Kiir Mayardit said in Juba today as the country commemorated its third Independence Day anniversary.

“What you are doing today, people of South Sudan, cannot make you a free state,” said President Kiir. “Instead, the “F” for “free” can be turned to “failed”. That is what our enemies want. Do we encourage them on that route or do we prove them wrong? That is up to you also to decide.”

The challenge of the internal crisis in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) should not be allowed to destroy gains of the liberation struggle or the social co-existence of communities, he said.

Noting that peace negotiations in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa had stalled “because the other party has so many demands which will not take us anywhere”, the President urged all South Sudanese to focus on peace and reconciliation.

Blame games would not get the country anywhere, he said, adding that a peaceful solution had to be found. He also invited former political detainees to join the government and try to find a solution to the crisis.

President Kiir noted that another challenge to the country’s unity and nation building was attempts to create a culture of violence and hatred on the basis of ethnicity and regionalism.

He emphasized that although the quest to achieve independence had been accomplished, the country’s mission was not finished.

“It was just the beginning of another difficult mission – to develop South Sudan,” said President Kiir. “That was the beginning of that journey.”

The real war after liberation was one for economic independence, he said, noting that despite having enormous fertile lands and abundance of rains for most of the year, the country continued to import food from neighbouring countries.

“This is really a very embarrassing and challenging situation,” he said. “This should be the real war that we must all fight without ceasefire – to liberate ourselves economically.”

The President thanked his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni, who was present at the ceremony, for his support and prompt intervention when the conflict started in December 2013.

“There will be problems, but the fact of your independence is irreversible,” said President Museveni. “Countries and societies are like human beings. As you grow up, you face a lot of challenges, but if you learn from those challenges and find solutions, you will succeed.”