South Sudan's Kiir prays to forgive north for war

South Sudan's president urged his people to forgive the Muslim north for a devastating 1983-2005 war, as partial results trickling in on Sunday from a landmark vote showed a landslide for secession.
In his first public pronouncement since the referendum wrapped up in the mainly Christian region on Saturday, president Salva Kiir joined thousands of faithful in giving thanks for the week-long referendum and praying for their nation-in waiting.
Speaking from the pulpit of Saint Theresa Roman Catholic cathedral in the regional capital Juba, Kiir said: "For our deceased brothers and sisters, particularly those who have fallen during the time of struggle, may God bless them with eternal peace.
"And may we, like Jesus Christ on the cross, forgive those who have forcefully caused their deaths."
An estimated two million people died in the 22-year civil war, the latest round in five decades of conflict between the south and the mainly Arab north that has blighted Africa's largest nation. The week-long independence vote was the centrepiece of the 2005 peace agreement that ended the war.
The southern leader sat smiling in a pew at the front holding a Bible as Archbishop Paulino Lukudu Loro blessed a mock ballot box at the altar.
"We pray that the will of Sudan will come out," Lukudu said. "For those doing the counting, don't mix, don't cheat, don't steal."
A priest had earlier offered a "prayer of gratitude for the peaceful voting of the referendum".
"We present these votes to God who will bring change through His people of this country," he told the congregation.
Loudspeaker trucks criss-crossed the dirt tracks of Juba urging south Sudanese to celebrate as partial results posted outside the city's larger polling stations showed a huge majority for independence.
There was no way of knowing how representative the results were of the vote in Juba, let alone of south Sudan as a whole. Much of the region is remote countryside where illiterate herders range over big distances with their livestock.
The final result to determine whether the south secedes to become the world's newest country in July is not expected before next month.