Southern Sudanese have begun voting in a week-long independence referendum expected to lead to the partition of Africa's largest nation.
South Sudanese president Salva Kiir proclaimed the event an 'historic moment' for his people as he was among the first to cast his ballot in the regional capital Juba when polling stations opened at 8am (5am Irish time).
Thousands of jubilant south Sudanese had queued through the night to be among the first to have their say on whether the south should break away from rule by Khartoum.
'This is the historic moment the people of south Sudan have been waiting for,' Mr Kiir said, holding up his hand to reporters to show the indelible ink that demonstrated he had voted.
US envoys Scott Gration and John Kerry, as well as actor George Clooney, watched as he cast his ballot at a polling station set up at the memorial to late rebel leader John Garang in the regional capital Juba.
'I would like to call on all south Sudanese people to be patient in case anyone does not have time to cast his or her vote today,' Mr Kiir said.
Polls closed at 5pm (2pm Irish time) on the first day of the seven-day independence referendum that is the centrepiece of a 2005 north-south peace deal that ended Africa's longest-running conflict.
Mr Kerry, who along with Mr Gration had engaged in intensive shuttle diplomacy for months to clear the way for the momentous vote, said after watching Kiir cast his vote that the referendum represented a 'new chapter' for Sudan.
Mr Clooney, who has long campaigned passionately for Sudan, described the launch of the referendum as a 'great day for all the world'.
Mr Kiir told his people in an eve of polling day message that there was no alternative to peaceful coexistence with the north.
'Fellow compatriots, we are left only with a few hours to make the most vital and extremely important decision of our lifetime,' he said.
'The referendum is not the end of the journey but rather the beginning of a new one,' he added, alluding to the six-month transitional period to recognition as an independent state stipulated by the 2005 peace agreement.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who led the north's war effort against the south for a decade and a half before signing the 2005 peace deal, has said he will respect the outcome of the vote if it is 'free and transparent'.
