Massive voter turnout:

Nationhood nearer for south Sudan

SUDAN: South Sudan was a step closer to becoming the world's newest state Monday after vast crowds of jubilant voters turned out on the first day of a landmark independence referendum.

Thousands of voters had begun waiting from hours before dawn on Sunday, eager to be among the first to have their say on whether the impoverished south should break away from rule by Khartoum, putting the seal on five decades of north-south conflict. When the polls finally opened at 8:00 am (0500 GMT), the excitement was electric. Each time another vote was inserted in the ballot box, women began ululating in celebration.

Southern leaders had urged voters to turn out en masse on the first day. A 2005 peace deal requires a turnout of at least 60 percent for the referendum to be valid. Juba, Monday, AFP