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In Pictures

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The journey so far

Africa’s largest country may have been split into two, but both Sudan and South Sudan face a long road ahead.

People walk through a market
Souks, or markets, are at the centre of commercial activity in the cities and villages of Sudan. One can buy agricultural products (fruit, vegetables and meat) there, as well as handicrafts produced by local artisans [GALLO/GETTY]
Published On 19 Sep 201119 Sep 2011
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Sudanese woman working in market
Women make up about 65 per cent of the population in South Sudan, but lack the political representation necessary to stop violence, discrimination and abuse [EPA]
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Students in a classroom - South Sudan
In the mid-1950s fewer than 150,000 Sudanese children were enrolled in primary school, compared with more than two million today. However, the south still has fewer schools than the north [GALLO/GETTY]
A girl with a bowl of corn
Sudanesee children traditionally enter the professions of their parents. For the majority of the population this means working in the farming sector as 80 per cent of the workforce is in agriculture [GALLO/GETTY]
Family sorting through onions - Sudan
An estimated two million people have been killed and up to one-and-a-half million Southern Sudanese displaced during the north-south civil war which began in the 1950s. The north is largely Arab and Muslim, and the mainly Christian south resented its attempts to "Arabise" the country, replacing indigenous languages and culture with Arabic [GALLO/GETTY]
Mosque in Khartoum
Historically, the majority Muslim population of northern Sudan have had better access to education and economic opportunities, making them generally better off than southerners. In the south, much of the upper class and political elite are Christian and attended missionary schools [GALLO/GETTY]
A girl wipes her face - Sudan
In January, Southern Sudanese participated in a referendum agreed as part of an historic 2005 peace treaty that brought an end to decades of civil war [GALLO/GETTY]
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Vote for dignity rally
People participate in a rally to show support for the independence referendum in the southern Sudanese city of Juba [GALLO/GETTY]
Poll workers counting votes
An overwhelming majority of southerners voted for independence from the north, splitting Africa(***)s largest country in two [GALLO/GETTY]
Independence referendum begins
The vote was widely regarded as free, fair and credible [GALLO/GETTY]
Referendum cup
Players and fans attend a ceremony as a Referendum Cup football match finishes. The tournament was organised to mark the end of the referendum vote in Yambio, a poor and isolated southern town [GALLO/GETTY]
Internally displaced Sudanese
A man carries bedding into a camp for internally displaced Sudanese from Khartoum at a port in the southern Sudanese city of Juba as thousands poured into the south from the north before the referendum [GALLO/GETTY]
Members of SPLA
Members of a branch of the Sudanese People(***)s Liberation Army (SPLA) play in a band during a pro-independence march in Juba [GALLO/GETTY]
Sudanese people in makeshift tents
The return of internally displaced southern Sudanese people (IDPs) to the south has been slower than anticipated, and, until now, only around 300,000 IDPs have returned. The region is still plagued by insecurity and offers limited access to water, health care, education and opportunities to make a livelihood [EPA]
Man in Sudanese flag celebrates
South Sudan also gained control of the majority of Sudan(***)s oil as it became the world(***)s newest nation just after midnight on July 9, 2011 [EPA]
Sudanese child smiling
Celebrations across South Sudan greeted Africa(***)s 54th country as it became the world(***)s 193rd [EPA]
UN patrol in Abyei
The oil-rich area of Abyei remains contested between Sudan and South Sudan until the two countries reach a resolution that will not affect the rights of ancestral residents [EPA]
Building with a map of Sudan
The newly independent south faces considerable humanitarian challenges, including continued violence along its new northern border, high levels of displacement and disease, and acute gaps in basic service delivery [GALLO/GETTY]


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