This film first aired in July 2011.

South Sudan will officially declare independence in July. A new country will be born.

Foremost in the long list of challenges faced by the government of South Sudan (GOSS) is the task of creating an inclusive and representative administration among different tribes with a history of bitter enmity.

In addition, many see the prospect of South Sudan being rife with corruption soon after gaining independence.

Looking back at recent history we will illustrate how the North has exploited and exacerbated existing ethnic tensions in order to divide and weaken southern opposition.

Other issues include oil - 98 per cent of South Sudan's governmental income is derived from oil revenues, making it the most oil dependent nation on earth; the possible tensions which could ensue if and when South Sudan decides to abrogate the Egypt-Sudan 1959 Nile Water Agreement; and the ongoing potential for conflict across the North-South divide, as SPLA forces watch their northern counterparts on the other side of the narrow frontline.