The Republic of South Sudan on Saturday celebrated its first day as a nation with more than 30 African leaders and senior Western politicians, hours after jubilant crowds danced down the streets of the new capital, Juba, RIA Novosti reports.
Speaker of Parliament James Wani Igga pronounced the declaration of independence. Thousands cheered as the Sudanese flag was lowered and replaced with the new South Sudanese flag.
Leader of Sudan's national-liberation movement Salva Kiir Mayardit took oath as the country's new president. He will serve at this post until April 2014.
Oil-rich Sudan, Africa's largest country, has served as a 20th-century battleground for land, resources and ethnic identity.
The south's independence follows decades of civil war with Sudan's Khartoum government in which some 1.5 million people died. The new country won its independence in a January referendum in which nearly 99 percent of South Sudanese voted to separate from the north.
The ballot was mandated by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, a 2005 deal aimed at ending the long-drawn conflict.
South Sudan became the 193rd country recognized by the UN and the 54th UN member state in Africa.
