BEIRUT: Lebanon's Cabinet unanimously agreed to recognize South Sudan during its meeting Monday night. 

The ministers did not expand on the diplomatic relationship between the two countries or when a Sudanese Embassy would open in Lebanon. 

South Sudan, where most follow Christian and traditional African beliefs, declared independence on July 9, 2011 in line with a January referendum that was the culmination of a 2005 peace deal ending decades of civil war with the north. 

On July 14, the African country became a United Nations member state. It is also expected to become a member of the African Union soon.  

There is a large community of Sudanese expatriates working in Lebanon in various fields, with several hundred Lebanese businessmen reportedly working in Sudan before the apartheid.