South Sudan admitted to U.N. as 193^rd member

(July 15, 2011) The United Nations General Assembly admitted South Sudan on Thursday as the 193rd member of the United Nations, sealing the new African country’s independence after decades of conflict. The assembly vote, by acclamation, followed South Sudan’s independence proclamation in the capital Juba on Saturday, July 9, after its people voted in a January referendum to break away from Sudan -- a decision accepted by Khartoum. Applause broke out in the assembly as South Sudan became the first country to join the world body since Montenegro in 2006. The Security Council, which rules on all U.N. membership applications, had recommended the admission on Wednesday. "Welcome, South Sudan. Welcome to the community of nations," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. The South Sudan flag - black, red and green stripes, overlaid with a blue triangle and gold star -- was later hoisted outside U.N. headquarters in New York. The new country will be one of the world’s poorest and inherit a string of disputes with Sudan. But representatives of the two countries pledged on Thursday to put the past behind them and resolve outstanding issues peacefully. Southerners voted to secede from the Arab-dominated north in a January referendum that was promised in a 2005 peace deal ending 5 decades of north-south civil war that cost two million lives.