JUBA, Sudan — Clashes continued Thursday between a breakaway commander and the former rebel military of Southern Sudan, leaving at least 16 people dead and ending a key cease-fire just months before the war-torn region is set to emerge as the world’s newest nation.
The Jan. 5 agreement signed between the Southern Sudan army and rebel George Athor helped pave the way for the undeveloped region’s peaceful referendum on independence Jan. 9-15. Southern Sudan is set for nationhood in July after 99 percent voted in favor of separation. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir certified the result Monday.
The referendum was the core part of a 2005 U.S.-brokered peace deal between Sudan’s Arab government in the north and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, ending decades of conflict between the regions that killed 2 million.
Athor, a former Sudan People’s Liberation Army chief of staff, took up arms against Sudan’s southern government in Juba after a failed gubernatorial bid in elections last April, claiming the poll was rigged.
The clashes erupted Wednesday.
