DUBAI // It was a moment of sheer jubilation for Kennedy Danga and his family as they watched the flag of South Sudan being raised for the first time.
Mr Danga, 37, a structural engineer who has been living in Dubai for the past five years with his wife, Diana, and their two-year-old daughter, Gloria, wiped away tears of joy as he watched the official proceedings on television yesterday.
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"I have been longing for it for a very long time and my parents have been longing for it too. I mean, I wish I was born in South Sudan," he said. "You have to start somewhere ... it is not going to be OK overnight or in one or two days. It is going to take some time, but I am very optimistic."
The Dangas are among the more than 70,000 estimated Sudanese in the UAE.
On this historic day, the Dangas' family friend Bona Rehan, 43 and South Sudanese, joined them in their comfortable fourth-floor apartment in an Al Qusais high-rise.
Mr Rehan acknowledges the many challenges that loom for the country and its people.
"God is great, congratulations my brother, peace," Mr Rehan said to his friend, who looked on with a smile. "They did well in the hard times, in the good times they will be willing to do more. I came here today to celebrate the joy of our new nation."
The families of both men live in South Sudan. "My family ... packed up everything and left at the time of the referendum," Mr Rehan said.
Mrs Danga's family remains in Khartoum. "I am happy of course that the south got its independence, but at the same time I am also sad," said Mrs Danga, 22, who is pregnant with their second child. "My family is still in the north and they are considering moving, but not right away. My brothers read in Arabic and in the south it is in English, so it is going to be hard for them. Their destiny is ultimately to return."
Mr Danga acknowledged the difficulties for some of the remaining families, like his wife's. "As I said it is not easy, but it is something that the people have been waiting for. Moving is not easy, people have been living in the north for a long time. All of us have friends in Khartoum and they will remain our friends."
The family watched quietly as James Wani Igga, South Sudan's parliamentary speaker, read out the declaration of independence before the new country's flag was raised and Salva Kiir, the president, took the oath of office.
Acknowledging some of the issues that the country has yet to resolve, Mr Rehan said: "We have tremendous resources that we have to turn to opportunities. All we need is just to turn the engine and go. We have to have to have good tyres, mechanics and road, as well as know the direction we are going."
Mr Danga and Mr Rehan are positive that a prosperous future lies ahead as long as resources are turned into services for the people.
"The biggest one is capacity building for the nation. You have a lot of people who have never been to school or seen a classroom, so this is going to be a problem. If we have education established properly, the future is very bright," Mr Danga said, with young Gloria on his knee. "We have a lot of educated people living abroad and the challenges for them are education and security."
Mr Rehan said a school was needed in every village and town.
"Most of the fighters have been in the war for 20 years and all they know is how to shoot," he said. "There are a lot of widows and orphans, plus the infrastructure needs to be built. We need to give people who are illiterate the opportunity to go to school."
Both men have spoken to many friends who are keen to return.
"There are many people considering going back, but it depends on individual choices. Some people have already gone and are doing well," Mr Danga said.
Mr Rehan added: "We are very fortunate because a lot of people around the world really want to help us, so we are not alone."
balqabbani@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
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the pledge
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Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
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Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
