Young people in South Sudan celebrate independence XINHUA/AFP

Barasa said the new republic has to reach out to its own people, to make them believe in the independence.

"It's like Kenya at independence. It depends on how the leaders manage the early years. If they decide to loot and plunder the country like the Kenyan independence leaders did, then, the results [of a failed state] shouldn't surprise anyone," he told ChinAfrica.

His observation chimed the extravagant liberty with which Juba has modeled its structures on the Kenyan experience, with the South Sudan flag having an unquestionable resemblance to the Kenyan one.

President Kiir has already rallied his countrymen, saying in his Independence address that despite belonging to more than 60 ethnic groups and almost 600 sub-groups, people must remember that first they are South Sudanese.

Referring to regions that have experienced violent conflict in recent weeks leading up to Independence Day over the control of the resources between militia allied to the North and those allied to the South, Kiir assured the people of Abyei, Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan, "We have not forgotten you. When you cry, we cry. When you bleed, we bleed. I pledge to you today that we will find a just peace for all."

 (Reporting from Kenya)

South Sudan - Oil Revenue

> No new oil revenue sharing agreement has been struck between South Sudan and Sudan. According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in 2005, southern oil revenues would be shared 50/50 with Khartoum. The South produces roughly three quarters  of Sudans' 500,000 bpd of oil output. However, southern officials claim that this deal will expire as soon as the country becomes a sovereign entity, and they will be prepared only to pay a transit fee to the North. In response, the North has threatened to halt exports through the Port of Sudan, currently the only means for the South's oil to reach its export markets. Presently, the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) relies on oil for 98 percent of its revenues. A key priority for GOSS will be to construct a new pipeline to the Kenyan coast.

Interim Constitution

> On July 7, 2011, the South Sudan Legislative Assembly passed an interim constitution, which will run until the next elections in four years. The constitution concentrates power in the hands of President Salva Kiir, who, for example, will be able to declare war and a state of emergency without parliamentary approval. A strong presidency is seen as important in the process of managing the new country's divergent interests. Notably, the constitution allows for dual citizenship, which will support the return of South Sudanese expatriates, many of whom will bring vital skills necessary for the creation.

(Simon Freemantle, Senior Analyst, African Political Economy Unit, Standard Bank Research)

South Sudan - Quick Facts

> Total population of South Sudan is 8.26 million

> Total area of South Sudan is 644,329 square km

> More than half (51percent) of the population is below the age of 18

> 72 percent of the population is below the age of 30

> 83 percent of the population is rural

> 27 percent of the adult population is literate