· In February 2012 North and South Sudan signed a non-aggression pact at talks to resolve outstanding secession issues. However, due to a dispute over fees, the south halted oil production and the north closed the oil pipeline, requiring South Sudan to immediately cut public spending by 50%.· In January 2012 South Sudan declared a state of emergency in Jonglei state after 100,000 people fled violence.· South Sudan separated from the north on 9th July 2011, hopefully drawing to a close the long conflict between them. 99% of the population voted in favor of independence.· Gulf Air will begin flying to Juba via Bahrain in June 2012.· In a bid to raise its profile, the South Sudan Tourist Board has launched a website (www.nile-jewel.

org), Facebook page (www.facebook.com/southsudantouristboard) and Twitter feed (@SSudantourism). · The tourism ministry has also produced an official tourism map of Juba with supplementary images from other parts of the country which can be downloaded as a PDF from http://nile-jewel.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/MAP-COVER-FOLDED-48X11-online.pdf. · Le Monde and Time magazine both ran an article with the title 'South Sudan: A Hidden Tour of Juba, the World's Newest Capital' in July 2011.· Work to expand and improve Juba airport began in May 2011.

This includes a resurfacing of the runway, expansion of the terminal building, and the addition of lighting to enable night time use. · The official language of South Sudan is English and Arabic is widely spoken.· Incidences of armed robbery (including car jacking) have been reported in Juba, where there is also a high security presence.