South Sudan Celebrates Its Independence

Mass celebration and hours of formal pomp and ceremony have marked the birth of the world's newest nation.

South Sudan became the 196th sovereign nation after a violent half century as part of Sudan.

Thousands of South Sudanese danced in the streets to mark their long-awaited independence, a hard-won separation from the north that also plunged the fractured region into a new period of uncertainty.

"Free at last," said Simon Agany, 34, as he walked around shaking hands. "Coming away from the north is total freedom."

Men and women coming out of a late night church service shook hands and congratulated each other, wishing each other "Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday."

Among the revellers was South Sudan's information minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, who said: "It is already the ninth so we are independent. It is now."

More than 2 million people are said to have died in the decades of civil war between north and south, which formally came to an end with a comprehensive peace agreement in 2005.

Since then, the South has been working towards today's declaration of independence.

Dignitaries from across the world, including the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague and the former US secretary of state Colin Powell are in the South's capital Juba to attend the independence ceremony.

Mr Hague told Sky News the UK would provide £90m in aid to fund the new country's health and education systems but warned the country begins life at a "fragile and dangerous time."

There is no official boundary between north and south because the two sides can't agree where it should be.

Currently, UN peacekeeping troops are patrolling the border town of Abyei after northern soldiers raided it several weeks ago causing more than 100,000 southerners to flee.

There is also no deal between the north and south on how to divide up the lucrative oil revenues, which both depend on for income.

Most of the oil is located in what is now South Sudan, but the pipeline to the only port and many of the refineries are in the north.

Closer to home, the new country's administration is under pressure from a number of armed factions who want a bigger say in how the country moves forward.

On top of all those issues this country has been stalled developmentally because of the wars. It means the infrastructure is all but non-existent.

The vast majority of its people are illiterate because education is rudimentary.

It is said that a girl in South Sudan is more likely to die in childbirth than complete primary school.

It is against this background that the world's newest nation takes its first steps as a free state.