A new country was born last night as South Sudan became an independent state.

The BBC's Will Ross, in the country's capital Juba, reports that the streets are full of parties "celebrating the birth of a new nation".

But former UN under-secretary general for human affairs Sir John Holmes warned that there were huge problems, both externally and internally, for the new nation.

"It is hard to exaggerate the lack of infrastructure," he said. "They're starting from scratch."

The international community must give the country "tough love", he argued, so that it "doesn't become a failed state straight away".

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