20110111
reuters

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Shrouded in black cloth, the home of Sudan's first leader Ismail al-Azhari is transformed into a symbol of mourning in Khartoum as the south votes in a plebiscite likely to split Africa's largest country for ever.

Southerners are deciding their future this week in a referendum agreed as part of a 2005 north-south peace deal ending a civil war that had simmered since 1955 with the loss of some 2 million lives.

Jubilation and celebrations in the south over the prospect of independence stand in stark contrast to the muted atmosphere in the north where many view secession as a tragedy.

"This was a message to show our sadness that Sudan will secede. We were hoping for unity," says Abeer Osman, al-Azhari's grand-daughter. "This is the beginning of the end of the Sudanese state."

The house, viewed as a symbol of Sudanese independence, also flies Sudan's old flag at half mast.

"We feel an incredible sadness that a ... very loved part of Sudan will separate from us but we know that this is their right," says Sara Nuqdullah, an opposition Umma Party official, who broke down in tears. "For us it is very painful as if a part of our body has been removed."

Many in the Arab and Muslim north blame the ruling National Congress Party for not doing enough since the 2005 settlement to overcome ethnic and economic conflicts with southerners, who follow mostly traditional beliefs or Christianity.

The landlocked south has the majority of the oil reserves, but the north has the infrastructure, so revenues depend on cooperation. The divorce cannot be complete.