(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has named Deepak Miglani as the new Ambassador to South Sudan. Miglani, who currently serves as India’s Ambassador to Sao Tome and Principe, will soon head to his next posting in the young African nation.
This appointment comes at a time when India continues to strengthen its diplomatic ties with South Sudan, a country with a rich history of struggle for independence. South Sudan was once part of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan from 1899 to 1955, under British-Egyptian control. It endured two major civil wars—first from 1962 to 1972, and then from 1983 to 2005—before gaining autonomy as Southern Sudan.
A turning point came in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in Nairobi between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). The deal, attended by India’s then Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, gave the south more self-rule and set the stage for a referendum on independence within six years.
Fast forward to 2011: South Sudan voted overwhelmingly for freedom in a January referendum and officially became independent on July 9. India was quick to recognize the new nation—our then Vice President Hamid Ansari even joined the Independence Day festivities in Juba. We’ve had strong, friendly India-South Sudan relations ever since. India opened a consulate in Juba back in October 2007, upgrading it to a full embassy in March 2012. South Sudan reciprocated by setting up its own embassy in New Delhi in August 2012.
South Sudan hasn’t had it easy, though. A civil war broke out in December 2013, leading to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict (R-ARCSS) in September 2018 in Addis Ababa. Today, a transitional government of national unity runs the country, bringing together rival groups under a power-sharing deal.
With Miglani stepping in, India aims to build on this foundation and support South Sudan’s journey toward peace and development.
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