Juba , Sudan ( CNN ) -- South Sudan took a seat at the world 's table early Saturday as citizens of the new country took to the streets to celebrate . Cars rolled through the capital of Juba . Occupants waved flags and honked horns to celebrate sovereignty recognized Friday by Sudan . `` The Republic of the Sudan announces its acknowledgement of the establishment of the Republic of South Sudan as a sovereign state within the 1956 boundaries , '' announced Bakri Hassan Salih , minister for presidential affairs . The reference to the 1956 boundaries , however , was controversial because that puts the contested region of Abyei in the north . The region , the size of Connecticut , is home to the Ngok Dinka people , who are closely allied with the South , but it also serves as grazing grounds for northern Misseriya tribes . It was a battleground for decades in the brutal civil war fought between northern and southern forces . A referendum on whether the area should be part of the north or the South has been delayed over disagreement over who is eligible to vote . In recent weeks fighting has erupted in Abyei again , sparking fears of another war and marring preparations for the celebrations . The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to send up to 7,000 peacekeepers and 900 uniformed police to the new country of South Sudan . The mandate of the previous U.N. mission runs out Saturday with South Sudan 's independence and the peacekeepers will be a part of a new operation for the global body . The Security Council is expected to meet again Wednesday to discuss U.N. membership for the new nation . In Juba , the mood was jubilant Friday , despite the bloodshed in Abyei and in oil-rich South Kordofan , a state in the north where many people are allied with the South . The airport was closed to commercial flights to allow for the arrival of expected dignitaries for the independence celebration . South Sudan natives voted overwhelmingly in January to secede . The referendum to split was part of a 2005 peace deal aimed at ending the decades of violence between the two sides . The two countries look set to divorce in name only . There are no agreements on the borders , the oil , or even the status of their respective citizens . But Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is still expected in Juba later Saturday , a gesture of pragmatism and what his office is calling a hope for brotherly relations . The South , in turn , is responding with equal grace , reserving for him an entrance separate from other dignitaries as the anthem of the Republic of Sudan plays on sovereign soil for the last time .
NEW : This means the product will ship as received by the manufacturer, sealed, with all advertised components, and with the manufacturer warranty. Khartoum recognizes the sovereignty of the South , within the 1956 borders . Those borders put the contested region of Abyei in the north . A new U.N. peacekeeping mission will step in .