AFRICAN UNION |
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AFRICAN UNION MISSION IN The SUDAN |
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AMIS HQs |
P. O. Box 8372, Khartoum, SUDAN Tel.: (0183) 582207/9 Fax: 002491-83-582206
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Short address by Amb. Baba Gana Kingibe, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union commission in the Sudan,, at the commemoration in Juba, of the one year anniversary of the death of Dr. John Garang de Mabior, the late 1st Vice President of the Sudan and Chairman of the SPLM.
Your Excellency the 1st Vice President of the Republic of the Sudan, President of the Government of South Sudan, and Chairman of the SPLM, Lt. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit,
Madam Rebecca Garang,
Your Excellencies, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.
Exactly one year ago, in my representative as well as personal capacity, I was here with you the good people of south Sudan in deep solidarity with you in your moment of great loss, in your moment of bewilderment, in your moment of grief.
You were not left alone that day: indeed, the whole world was here with you in sympathy and in shared grief. The passing away of Dr. John was not a loss only to the people of Southern Sudan, but a loss to the entire Sudan and indeed to all throughout Africa who believe in liberty, in justice, in dignity, and in equality. It was so that these valued triumphed, values which are universal and eternal, that Dr. John devoted his life. One year after his demise, as we look back, it seems as if the struggle to enthrone these values was his only purpose in life.
The whole world is again gathered here today in solidarity with you. Only one year on, it is too soon to expect the tears in everyone’s eyes to dry. The hearts are still heavy. Nevertheless, we are here today in celebration with you, in celebration of his life, of his struggle and of his legacy. His vision of a new Sudan, of a just and united Sudan whose seeds he sowed in the CPA has now germinated, however imperfectly, in the DPA. And we pray that before long these seeds will bloom in an EPA when the talks on the East are conclude. As 1st Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his colleagues both in Khartoum and here in Juba continue their efforts to consolidate the CPA, the African Union will remain firmly by their side. Our prayers and deep gratitude to Madam Rebecca, her children and members of her nuclear and extended family will remain constant. Our admiration for their courage and their abiding commitment to their people will never diminish. God bless them and God bless you all.
Thank you.