09/07/2011 10:38
South Sudan becomes independent nation
South Sudan has become the world's newest nation, the climax of a process made possible by the 2005 peace deal that ended a long and bloody civil war.
Celebrations in Juba began at midnight. A countdown clock in the city centre reached zero and the new national anthem was played on television.
People are in the streets, cheering, waving South Sudan flags, banging drums and chanting the name of President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
A formal independence ceremony is due to be held later on Saturday, BBC reported.