International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Independence Day in South Sudan

Photos: 
IRC field manager Pasquale Ongwen stands holding a small South Sudan flag
The crowd outside the John Garang Memorial Stadium in Juba on July 9, 2011
A teenage girl with her face painted in the colors of South Sudan's flag
Pasquale stands in a crowded field near the just-unveiled statue of John Garang
The flag of the Republic of South Sudan being raised for the first time
A young man in the crowd shouts for joy as the flag of South Sudan is raised
Arms outstretched, women in the crowd cry as they watch the flag being raised
IRC field manager Pasquale Ongwen watches the flag of the Republic of South Suda
The flag of the Republic of South Sudan flies from the top of the flag pole
Susan Purdin & others walk back from the Independence Day celebration in Juba
Photo: Sophia Jones-Mwangi/The IRC

On July 9, 2011 the IRC's Sophia Jones-Mwangi and Pasquale Ongwen joined a vast crowd of tens of thousands in Juba to witness the birth of the world’s newest nation – the Republic of South Sudan, as it celebrated its independence from Sudan.

 

Text and photos by Sophia Jones-Mwangi/The IRC