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18 January 2011
Last updated at 21:28 ET
The UN Security Council has welcomed the mostly peaceful and orderly referendum in Southern Sudan that is widely expected to result in secession.
However, it also urged the north and south to resolve outstanding issues, including the disputed Abyei region.
The head of the UN mission to Sudan said recent tensions in Abyei, on the border between north and south, could lead to instability for months to come.
The Security Council also expressed concern about the violence in Darfur.
Clashes between rebels and government troops in the western region have displaced 40,000 people over the past month.
Diplomats are watching the dynamics closely, aware Khartoum fears that Southern independence may strengthen separatist tendencies in Darfur, reports the BBC's Barbara Plett at the UN's headquarters in New York.
Final settlement At a meeting on Tuesday, members of the Security Council praised the conduct of the referendum in Southern Sudan, noting observer reports that it had been largely free, fair and credible.
"The people of Southern Sudan, after decades of war, and more than two million killed, have cast their votes peacefully, and expressed their will," said US permanent representative Susan Rice.
But they stressed the importance of resolving outstanding issues between the north and south in the next six months.
In particular, they voiced concerns about tensions in Abyei, urging leaders from both sides to agree on its status.
The UN special envoy to Sudan, Haile Menkarios, said deadly clashes between rival ethnic communities there - Misseriya Arab nomads from the north and pro-Southern Dinka Ngok - had been contained with an agreement reached by the Northern and Southern governments on Monday.
But Mr Menkarios also warned that the absence of a final settlement left open the possibility of further violence.
"These efforts for reducing tensions and preventing violence can contain the situation. However, the continued absence of a final settlement on the future of Abyei leaves open the possibility of further clashes between the communities," he told the Security Council.
The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended two decades of civil war and mandated the referendum on Southern independence, expires in July.
Issues such as oil-wealth sharing, border demarcation, division of debt and questions of citizenship need to be resolved by then.
Security Council members urged the two sides to bring the same spirit to these negotiations as they brought to the referendum.
The great divide across Sudan is visible even from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows. The northern states are a blanket of desert, broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. Southern Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland, swamps and tropical forest.
Sudan's arid northern regions are home mainly to Arabic-speaking Muslims. But in Southern Sudan there is no dominant culture. The Dinkas and the Nuers are the largest of more than 200 ethnic groups, each with its own traditional beliefs and languages.
The health inequalities in Sudan are illustrated by infant mortality rates. In Southern Sudan, one in 10 children die before their first birthday. Whereas in the more developed northern states, such as Gezira and White Nile, half of those children would be expected to survive.
The gulf in water resources between north and south is stark. In Khartoum, River Nile, and Gezira states, two-thirds of people have access to piped drinking water and pit latrines. In the south, boreholes and unprotected wells are the main drinking sources. More than 80% of southerners have no toilet facilities whatsoever.
Throughout Sudan, access to primary school education is strongly linked to household earnings. In the poorest parts of the south, less than 1% of children finish primary school. Whereas in the wealthier north, up to 50% of children complete primary level education.
Conflict and poverty are the main causes of food insecurity in Sudan. The residents of war-affected Darfur and Southern Sudan are still greatly dependent on food aid. Far more than in northern states, which tend to be wealthier, more urbanised and less reliant on agriculture.
Sudan exports billions of dollars of oil per year. Southern states produce more than 80% of it, but receive only 50% of the revenue, exacerbating tensions with the north. The oil-rich border region of Abyei is to hold a separate vote on whether to join the north or the south.
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However, it also urged the north and south to resolve outstanding issues, including the disputed Abyei region.
The head of the UN mission to Sudan said recent tensions in Abyei, on the border between north and south, could lead to instability for months to come.
The Security Council also expressed concern about the violence in Darfur.
Clashes between rebels and government troops in the western region have displaced 40,000 people over the past month.
Diplomats are watching the dynamics closely, aware Khartoum fears that Southern independence may strengthen separatist tendencies in Darfur, reports the BBC's Barbara Plett at the UN's headquarters in New York.
Final settlement At a meeting on Tuesday, members of the Security Council praised the conduct of the referendum in Southern Sudan, noting observer reports that it had been largely free, fair and credible.
"The people of Southern Sudan, after decades of war, and more than two million killed, have cast their votes peacefully, and expressed their will," said US permanent representative Susan Rice.
But they stressed the importance of resolving outstanding issues between the north and south in the next six months.
In particular, they voiced concerns about tensions in Abyei, urging leaders from both sides to agree on its status.
The UN special envoy to Sudan, Haile Menkarios, said deadly clashes between rival ethnic communities there - Misseriya Arab nomads from the north and pro-Southern Dinka Ngok - had been contained with an agreement reached by the Northern and Southern governments on Monday.
But Mr Menkarios also warned that the absence of a final settlement left open the possibility of further violence.
"These efforts for reducing tensions and preventing violence can contain the situation. However, the continued absence of a final settlement on the future of Abyei leaves open the possibility of further clashes between the communities," he told the Security Council.
The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended two decades of civil war and mandated the referendum on Southern independence, expires in July.
Issues such as oil-wealth sharing, border demarcation, division of debt and questions of citizenship need to be resolved by then.
Security Council members urged the two sides to bring the same spirit to these negotiations as they brought to the referendum.
The great divide across Sudan is visible even from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows. The northern states are a blanket of desert, broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. Southern Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland, swamps and tropical forest.Sudan's arid northern regions are home mainly to Arabic-speaking Muslims. But in Southern Sudan there is no dominant culture. The Dinkas and the Nuers are the largest of more than 200 ethnic groups, each with its own traditional beliefs and languages.The health inequalities in Sudan are illustrated by infant mortality rates. In Southern Sudan, one in 10 children die before their first birthday. Whereas in the more developed northern states, such as Gezira and White Nile, half of those children would be expected to survive.The gulf in water resources between north and south is stark. In Khartoum, River Nile, and Gezira states, two-thirds of people have access to piped drinking water and pit latrines. In the south, boreholes and unprotected wells are the main drinking sources. More than 80% of southerners have no toilet facilities whatsoever.Throughout Sudan, access to primary school education is strongly linked to household earnings. In the poorest parts of the south, less than 1% of children finish primary school. Whereas in the wealthier north, up to 50% of children complete primary level education.Conflict and poverty are the main causes of food insecurity in Sudan. The residents of war-affected Darfur and Southern Sudan are still greatly dependent on food aid. Far more than in northern states, which tend to be wealthier, more urbanised and less reliant on agriculture.Sudan exports billions of dollars of oil per year. Southern states produce more than 80% of it, but receive only 50% of the revenue, exacerbating tensions with the north. The oil-rich border region of Abyei is to hold a separate vote on whether to join the north or the south.Webmaster Forum | SEO Forum | Coding Forum | Graphics Forum</b>