Awwal 05, 1432, Feb 08, 2011, SPA -- The United States will recognize Southern Sudan as an independent country in July, President Barack Obama said Monday following a referendum that granted the southern part of the country's bid to secede from the north. "I congratulate the people of Southern Sudan for a successful and inspiring referendum in which an overwhelmingly majority of voters chose independence," Obama said in a statement shortly after the results were announced. "I am therefore pleased to announce the intention of the United States to formally recognize Southern Sudan as a sovereign, independent state in July 2011," he was quoted as saying by the German Press Agency "DPA". Officials in Sudan said Monday that the results of a January referendum showed Southern Sudan voted overwhelmingly - nearly 99 per cent - in favor of independence.