South Sudan referendum affirmed free, fair and credible

International observers have given south Sudan's independence referendum their seal of approval, saying a vote for secession was now "virtually certain" in their first official judgment on the poll.

Observers from the Carter Center and the European Union both said the vote had been credible, an endorsement that moved the region a step closer to independence.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's mission said a number of irregularities had not undermined the legitimacy of the referendum, which hopes to end a violent cycle of bitter north-south conflict in Africa's largest country.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has also given its approval. IGAD observation team leader, Yusuf Nzibo, said that despite south Sudan’s high rate of illiteracy and poor infrastructure, the elections were “free, fair and credible.”

Early results from last week's poll suggest people from Sudan's oil-producing south voted overwhelmingly to split away from the north after decades of civil war.

In the southern capital Juba, six centres each had more than 2,500 votes for secession compared with a maximum of just 25 votes for unity.

Preliminary results are expected by the end of the month, and south Sudan could become an independent nation on July 9 according to the terms of the 2005 north-south peace deal that promised the referendum.

Listen to report by Kelsea Brennan-Wessels: