Southern Sudan worries about impact of Bashir fall

Sudan's military coup in Sudan on Thursday made South Sudan fear that the overthrow of long-time President Omar al-Bashir could threaten the fragile peace deal that ended the five-year civil war in Sudan. South Sudan.

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and former rebel leader Riek Machar signed last year calling on them to form a union government on May 12. However, the main requirements, including the integration of their forces, have not been met.

The agreement was guaranteed by Sudan, but the ousting of Bashir leaves much more responsibility for the success of the agreement in Kiir and Machar.

In Sudan, Defense Minister Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf announced the end of the Bashir regime, saying the country would enter a two-year period of military rule that would be followed by presidential elections.

The government of Southern Sudan and the former rebels have both expressed concern over the coup d'etat.

"Sudan has worked so hard to restore peace and stability. That is why the peace agreement in force in South Sudan is in force and is a guarantor, "said Martin Elia Lomoro, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Southern Sudan, at a meeting with international observers of the ceasefire.

Sudan, a predominantly Muslim nation, has granted independence to the predominantly Christian south in 2011 after decades of fighting around scorched earth. Two years later, South Sudan was plunged into an intermittent civil war, killing some 400,000 people and about one third of the uprooted population.

Despite the ongoing conflict and border dispute, relations between Sudan and South Sudan have warmed in recent months. Both countries were in desperate need of oil-generated liquidity from South Sudan via a Sudan-owned pipeline and port.

The Vatican has reunited South Sudanese leaders, including Kiir and Machar, for a 24-hour prayer and preaching on Wednesday, with the aim of overcoming their bitter divisions.