John Garang is ÄnowÅ an ex-rebel leader from the south of Sudan, where millions have lost their lives in a systematic genocide committed by the government. In a peace deal worked out between the two sides, Garang was sworn in as Vice President of the country and the situation was looking hopeful. Well, scratch that.

Tens of thousands of people are flooding the streets of Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, enraged by the death of John Garang, who led the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army rebels for more than two decades. Mr. Garang was sworn in as Sudan’s first vice president less than a month ago.

The situation in Khartoum is getting more volatile as tens of thousands of protesters in Khartoum have flooded the streets and started burning cars, smashing shop windows, and engaging Sudanese police in running gun battles, says Colonel Bjarne Giske, head of the Joint Monitoring Commission, a U.S.-backed agency overseeing a cease-fire in central Sudan.

“The police have reinforced now and starting to some extent getting the situation under control but still massive riots, there is a lot of destruction of property specifically vehicles are targeted,” ,” said Colonel Giske, speaking by telephone from the Sudanese capital. “It has now gone over to also burning vehicles instead of only smashing windows and there are big problems currently in the southern dominated areas and we have received reports that also the army now is deploying to get the situation under control.”

Rioting reportedly has spread to other areas of the country, including Juba, one of the largest cities in southern Sudan. Kenya’s Nation TV reported that Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army soldiers have started ransacking houses in Juba. They also are said to have demanded the immediate expulsion of Sudanese army troops in Juba, estimated to be in the tens of thousands.

News of Garang’s death and its violent aftermath is sending shockwaves through this region of Africa, dimming hopes for peace in a country that appeared to be emerging from more than two decades of civil war.

Editorialists, NGO workers, and government representatives are all saying that the peace process should continue forward. Of course, it should, but that isn’t a realistic expectation. It’s just going to get worse without real intervention. I would also call into question the sincerity of the Sudanese government in engaging the peace process, and would also recommend a full investigation into how Garang’s helicopter crashed. With them, I wouldn’t blink for a second if someone discovered sabotage. More coverage here.