Published by The Daily Beast on July 11, 2011

“South Sudan Oyee!,” the national anthem for the world’s newest country, which declared its independence on Saturday, played on repeat this weekend in South Sudan’s capital, Juba. Blaring from the open windows of cars, on cellphone ringtones, and on television and radio, the lyrics implore patriots to “stand up in silence and respect, saluting our martyrs whose blood cemented our national foundation.”

It isn’t simply a dramatized historical reference. More than 2 million people died during the north-south civil war that ended only in 2005.

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