The East African Gazette
The Republic of South Sudan, the most recent nation to be established, has officially joined the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
South Sudan, which came into existence on July 9, 2011, is now the 21st member of this international organization.
This development has expanded NAM’s membership to include 54 countries from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean, and two from Europe.
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The announcement was made on January 17, 2024 by Yalchin Rafiyev, the deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, during the inaugural ceremony of the 19th NAM Summit in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.
In his statement, Rafiyev extended his congratulations to the Republic of South Sudan for its new membership in the Non-Aligned Movement.
The nations that make up NAM are neither technically affiliated with nor opposed to any major power bloc. It was founded with the view to advancing interests of developing countries in the context of Cold War confrontation.
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In 1961, drawing on the principles agreed at the Asia-Africa Bandung Conference, NAM was formally established at the first Summit held on 1st – 6th September, 1961 in Indonesia Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
NAM is the largest grouping of states worldwide, after the United Nations.
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