Politics & Government
An officer of South Sudan's former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army stands under the flag of the semi-autonomous oil-rich region. Next year, this flag could become the emblem of the world's newest state. (Alan Boswell/MCT)
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Soldiers in South Sudan's former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army lounge atop a Soviet-era battle tank just miles from the front lines of the Sudanese northern-based government's armed forces. (Alan Boswell/MCT)
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South Sudan's Major General Gabriel Jok Riak (left), commander of the Sudan People's Liberation Army's 1st Division, and Upper Nile state governor Simon Kun Pouch (center), greet troops at a military base along the front lines of Sudan's north-south divide in Renk County, Upper Nile state, on November 27, 2010. (Alan Boswell/MCT)
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Soldiers await in formation on battle tanks 8 miles south of Sudan's heavy militarized north-south border. Next year, South Sudan could become the world's newest state, and these former rebels are trying to secure its borders. (Alan Boswell/MCT)
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A South Sudanese soldier holds position inside a Soviet-era battle tank, miles away from the better-armed forces of Sudan's government. Next year, this front line could prove either a focal point in a renewed civil war or the dividing line between two new countries. (Alan Boswell/MCT)
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A military officer for South Sudan's military carries a bull whip. Six years ago, the Sudan People's Liberation Army was rebel guerrilla force, but a 2005 peace agreement gave them official status leading up to a 2011 vote on South Sudan independence. (Alan Boswell/MCT)
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A group of soldiers in the Sudan People's Liberation Army, a former rebel group now in control of South Sudan, ride in the back of a vehicle on their way to Sudan's heavy militarized north-south border in Renk County, Upper Nile state, on November 27, 2010. (Alan Boswell/MCT)
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A specially-trained commando South Sudanese commando carries a heavy automatic rifle at a pro-secession government rally in Renk town on November 27, 2010. (Alan Boswell/MCT)
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South Sudan police and army commandos man the final checkpoint at the border crossing at Wonthau between Sudan's northern and southern territories. The border is heavy militarized on both sides ahead of a January vote on southern independence, in which South Sudan is expected to opt to secede and form a new country. (Alan Boswell/MCT)
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