11 Jun 2011

Fears of new fighting in sudan

9:34 pm on 11 June 2011

South Sudan's army has accused the north of bombing a border village and says southern forces are getting ready to defend against a possible ground attack.

The south is preparing to secede from the north on 9 July following a vote for seccession in a referendum in January.

That referendum was held as part of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of brutal civil war between the north and south of Sudan.

However, fears of new fighting between the two long-standing rivals have been growing after the north seized the contested Abyei region three weeks ago.

The US White House has said it is "deeply concerned" by the developments.