South Sudan has voted to become independent from the rest of the country with a majority of 98 percent, the head of the referendum commission said on Monday.
South Sudan has been formally seeking independence since it concluded a peace deal with the north in 2005, ending two decades of civil war in the impoverished northeast African nation.
"The turnout at the referendum was 97.5 percent, with 98.83 percent voting for the independence of the south and 1.17 percent supporting unity," commission head Khalil Mohamed Ibrahim said.
South Sudan will officially become the Africa's 53rd state on July 9 after a five-month transition period under the peace agreement.
Before July, the south and the north must agree on a series of issues, including the disputed border region of Abyei and oil resources.
KHARTOUM, February 7 (RIA Novosti)
