Registration Starts For Independence Vote

Voters in southern Sudan began registering Monday for an independence referendum scheduled for January, Reuters reports.

A 2005 peace deal that ended a civil war between the north and south set Jan. 9 as the date for the voting.

Northern and southern leaders recently agreed to a "soft border" that would allow the free movement of trade and nomads in the event of separation.

Registration will last for 17 days.

There is concern that the vote could reignite the war.