After a five-and-a-half years interim period under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which marked the end of nearly two decades of civil war with northern Sudan, South Sudan emerged as an independent nation on 9 July 2011. In spite of the success of the referendum, complicated post-CPA negotiations have continued between the Sudan and South Sudan, particularly with respect to border demarcating and the management of petroleum resources. The two countries are also embroiled in a protracted dispute over Abyei, a contested region straddling the borders of the two countries. Since the referendum, an outbreak of fighting in Abyei and in the two Sudanese border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile has sent streams of refugees into South Sudan, raising tension between the two countries.
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