South Sudan will join a league of 33 new countries in the globe since 1990 if the January 2011 referendum qualifies them to go on their own.
The semi-autonomous region currently waiting with relaxed moods for full independence will make the 34th country in the world over the last 20 years. It will join Kosovo, the latest nation to declare self-independence after managing to unilaterally declare autonomy marking a contested separation from Serbia in 2008. Though the mother country did not acknowledge the separation then, Kosovo went ahead to build its territory and even at one point was toying with the idea of joining the European Union.
The bulk of the newest countries were as a result of the disintegration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1991. Countries born as a result of this dissolution are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Yugoslavia broke into five states in the early 1990s : Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. The two regions making the later went separate ways in 2006 adding to the tally of the new nations after a referendum similar to the South Sudan’s which Montenegro voted in favour of separation.
In Africa, Eritrea is the last country to gain independence. The 18-year old state voted in a plebiscite to separate itself from Ethiopia in 1993 but the border between the two countries has been in contestation since then. Before Eritrea seceded, Namibia was the youngest country in Africa after moving away from South Africa in 1990.
Other countries that have come up include East Timor (2002), Palau (1994), Czech Republic (1993), Slovakia (1993), Micronesia (1991), The Marshall Islands (1991), Germany (East and West Germany merged in 1990), and Yemen (North and South Yemen merged too, 1990).
South Sudan will mostly join-considering the reported separation enthusiasm in the region- these countries, most making the least, apart from Russia, Germany, and Yemen populated countries in the world. Most of the mentioned states have a population less than 10 million and South Sudan with an approximate nine million people would comfortably fit into this league. Its expected new status will guarantee it automatic chances to join the international community in various fronts including membership to organisations such as African Union, United Nations, East African Community and others.
Though peaceful, referendums have been the least preferred way by seceding countries. So far Montenegro succeeded to separate through a plebiscite in 2006 and if South Sudan succeeds it will be following its peaceful manner of independence. Others, making a huge per cent, fought for their independence. Yugoslavia, for example, experienced deadly wars which led to the death of thousands of people through civil wars and alleged genocide, before it finally fell apart.
South Sudan, if it agrees to secede, will muscle out of a group of dozens of regions across the world which have for long been fighting for autonomy. It will be a success story for the currently semi-autonomous region still heavily depending on the mother country-The Sudan-for an array of things including budgetary allocations, United Nations representation etc. The regions that have asked for separation but have not gotten are Western Sahara, still under Morocco, South Ossetia, although it has declared self independence it has not been recognised by its mother country, Georgia, and the international community. Tamil Region is another section in Sri Lanka which has unsuccessfully fought in the past for autonomy. Puntland and Somaliland, two semi-autonomous regions carved out of Somalia have not yet been recognised as independent states though they have been operating under pseudo-sovereignty for long.
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