ANALYSIS - U.N. faces big challenge as Sudan readies for split

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - As southern Sudan prepares to secede on July 9, the United Nations is gearing up to become guardian of what will soon be its 193rd member state -- the poor, conflict-ravaged but oil-producing South Sudan.

The world body has its nation-building work cut out for it in the south, which is scarred by decades of civil war, tribal conflicts and poverty. There is no guarantee of success, and failure to create a viable South Sudan could destabilize the entire region, analysts warn.