The final results of a South Sudan referendum, announced by the South Sudan Referendum Commission in Khartoum on February 7, showed that 98.83 percent of voters chose to secede from the north. Shortly before the announcement, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir issued a decree saying he would accept the final results. South Sudan has now seceded from the north and will become an independent country. But can the two split regions of Sudan truly embrace stability, prosperity and democracy after separation?

Separation backlash

South Sudan's secession will not only change Sudan's political landscape, but may damage the already shaky African stability. It may also exacerbate existing problems, such as ethnic groups with cross-border ties and tribal conflicts, which are universally seen in African countries.

The negative impact of separatism will continue to influence Sudan's development as a nation-state. South Sudan's separation may spur further tribal conflicts in Darfur and in Sudan's oil-rich Abyei region. The Sudanese Government must face this challenge seriously. It must determine how to eliminate separatist influences and properly solve religious and tribal disputes to strengthen the Sudanese national identity and consolidate a nation-state that has stood for more than half a century.

The UN has long designated Sudan as one of the "least developed countries." While the world has entered the information age, Sudan does not have a significant industrial base. Only the oil industry, established in the late 20th century, is relatively modern. Strengthening national cohesion and lifting citizens from poverty through the acceleration of economic development remain Sudan's top priority.