Southern Sudan's final leg to independence is still facing roadblocks.<br /><br />The issue is the oil-rich province of Abyei.<br /><br />Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir says his government will not recognise the new state if the South claims Abyei.<br /><br />A Sudanese envoy has gone further, saying any move by the South on Abyei will lead to war.<br /><br />But already there is conflict. Since January, 1,000 people have died in clashes between northern militias and the South Sudanese army. <br /><br />Officials from the South maintain their claim on Abyei. The contested issue was left out of January's referendum for independence. <br /><br />Princeton Lyman, the US special envoy to Sudan, discussed the current situation in the country with Al Jazeera's David Foster.
