JOIN USThe UN General Assembly admitted by acclamation South Sudan as its newest member. "I declare South Sudan a member of the United Nations," said Joseph Deiss, president of the UN General Assembly.
The Security Council had yesterday recommended that South Sudan be admitted in the United Nations as its latest member. South Sudan's flag will now fly at the UN headquarters in New York.
Independence for South Sudan comes seven years after it signed a peace agreement in 2005 to end a decades long war with its now neighbour, Sudan.
While the countries have split, both nations are still trying to resolve border disputes.
Following a referendum in which the people of South Sudan voted overwhelmingly for a split, the new nation formally declared its independence on July 9. The UN will be sending peacekeeping missions to the country to beef up security there, as well as to the oil-rich disputed district of Abyei.