The New and the Old: The declaration of the Republic of South Sudan on July 9, 2011 was a major milestone of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between the northern National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) in 2005. The Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) ceased to be a semi-autonomous regional government and became a national government. Even though GoSS has presided over governance affairs of the erstwhile semi-autonomous southern Sudan in the six years of the interim period, the transformation following the declaration of independence of South Sudan is significant. Provisions for shared governance between the Government of National Unity (GNU) and GoSS are now invalid and South Sudan is to exercise full control over its public administration and development management, like any other state. However, the previous relationship with northern Sudan and the new forms of their relationship are important elements of state-building in the new republic. The outcomes of negotiations spearheaded by the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) for Sudan on transition issues covering, among others, citizenship, national assets and debts, land and boundaries, will be instructive in shaping the future relationship between the two now neighbouring states. Even though separated, the two countries still have an intricate relationship that is not just historical, but also linked to the development of social and economic interdependencies over time. For example, South Sudan still relies on the pipeline running through Sudan to Port Sudan for exportation of her oil through the Red Sea.