On 9 July 2011, the people of southern Sudan will start life in a new country. Here we look at how this change came about.
Peace agreement
Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed on 9 January 2005, ending the country’s second civil war which began in 1983.
The CPA set out a six-year process culminating in a referendum in January 2011 when southern Sudan voted to separate and form a new state.
The vote made southern Sudan semi-autonomous with its own government sitting in its major city of Juba.
The peace deal was signed by the government of Sudan and the Southern People's Liberation Movement and guaranteed by countries including the UK and the US, and by international organisations such as the United Nations and the African Union.
It raised expectations, particularly in southern Sudan, that people would soon begin to see dividends of the peace through investment in infrastructure and basic services.
But many people are yet to see real improvements to essential services.
Tens of thousands of those displaced during the civil war returned for the referendum and have continued to do so in the intervening months. This has placed immense pressure on already overstretched facilities like schools and clinics.
Now, with many more expected to migrate to the new country, investment is desperately needed.
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Further content
Listen
BBC Radio 4 talks to Christian Aid partner MRDA in Sudan about the spread of the mysterious 'nodding' disease among young people.
Photo gallery
Photojournalist Mike Goldwater travelled to Juba, the capital of southern Sudan, with Christian Aid to witness the preparations being made for next month's referendum.
Guardian Photo gallery
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