South Sudan President Salva Kiir lifts the nation's new constitution to the crowds of people attending an independence ceremony in Juba, South Sudan, on Saturday, July 9. South Sudan celebrated its first day as an independent nation.
— Andrew Burton / AP
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Two South Sudan residents wave flags as they celebrate independance during a ceremony in the capital Juba on July 9.
— Roberto Schmidt / AFP
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A crowd watches the independence ceremony of South Sudan from a tree in a field in Juba on July 9.
— Andrew Burton / AP
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Southern Sudanese migrants perform the jumping dance as they celebrate their country's independence in Kasarani, on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, July 9.
— Dai Kurokawa / EPA
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A woman carries a South Sudan flag as she arrives at the John Garang Mausoleum for the Independence Day celebrations in the capital Juba, July 9.
— Thomas Mukoya / X90150
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A man dances in the streets of Juba in South Sudan as crowds celebrate July 8, the day before the birth of their new nation. The north and south have been locked in decades of civil war that resulted in a 2005 agreement allowing for a referendum on southern secession.
— Roberto Schmidt / AFP
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Organizers prepare for a celebratory dinner in Juba, the capital of the new country of South Sudan on July 8.
— Pete Muller / AP
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South Sudanese children rehearse their dance routine July 7 to be performed at halftime during a soccer match between South Sudan and Kenya as part of independance day celebrations in Juba.
— Paul Banks / AFP
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Members of the Sudan People's Liberation Army stand at attention, during a rehearsal for independence, in Juba on July 5.
— Pete Muller / AP
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A musician practices before the start of a rehearsal of the Independence Day ceremony in Juba on July 5.
— Goran Tomasevic / X90012
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Southern Sudanese boys take shelter from afternoon rains that disrupted rehearsal for independence day celebrations in the capital city of Juba on July 4.