According to the BBC, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has accused the former rebels in the south of going back on the terms of a peace agreement that ended decades of conflict. He also warned that Sudan may be heading for a new war if north-south differences on some issues are not settled before a crucial referendum in January. Amid rising tension over whether the vote will be held on time, U.N. envoys urged Sudan to ensure that the vote on southern independence is held on time. Supporters of the two sides clashed in the capital, Khartoum, on Saturday. A crowd of several thousand northerners demonstrating in favor of unity turned on approximately 40 southerners who arrived at the rally. The police then joined in, beating southerners, who fled the scene, witnesses said. This situation is going from bad to worse, and something has to be done. It seems that President al-Bashir is more interested in conflict than resolution. The question is, can anything be done to stop this civil war, which seems imminent?
Read more at the BBC.
—Nsenga K. Burton