Elections

Sudan Turnout Persists Despite Violence

50 killed as vote passes 60 percent threshold.

More violence in South Sudan couldn’t deter people from turning out to vote: The election has passed the required 60-percent turnout threshold, even as 10 civilians were killed along the north-south border. Eighteen people were also injured and their belongings were stolen as a truck full of heavily armed nomads attacked a 23-truck convoy on Monday. The civilians were returning to their homes after voting in the landmark referendum to create a new country called Southern Sudan. U.N. officials expected violence and outrage from the north as civilians tried to vote for Southern Sudan's independence. Over the weekend nearly 40 people were killed in a similar skirmish along the border where officials say the land has yet to be demarcated and is home to some of the country's most lucrative oil fields.