Sudanese capital erupts in violence: Ex-leader of southern rebels is killed in crash just weeks after becoming vice-president

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Rioters burned cars and threw stones in Sudan'scapital today after a helicopter crash killed the country's vicepresident, who until recently was a southern rebel leader.

Sudanese leaders appealed for calm and said the nation's peaceprocess would remain on track. But some southern Sudanese said theywere suspicious about the circumstances of the death of John Garang,who was a key figure in a fledgling peace deal between thepredominantly Arab Muslim government and the Christian south.

Anti-riot police were deployed to several areas of Sudan'scapital, Khartoum, where crowds were pelting passers-by with stonesand smashing car windows. At least 10 private and government-ownedcars were set on fire.

The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum said there were reports of violencein south Sudan and issued a reminder of its warnings to Americans toavoid non-essential travel to the country. There were no details onthe southern violence.

The violence and widespread grief surrounding Garang's deathforced most in the capital to lock themselves inside their homes.Shop owners shuttered their stores.

"Murderers! Murderers!" yelled some southern Sudanese protesterswho alleged the Sudanese government, which had battled Garang's rebelforce for two decades before this year's peace deals, may have beenbehind the crash.

"We lost Garang at a time when we needed him the most, but wethink that we have made great strides toward peace and we believethat that peace process should continue," said Garang aide Nihal Dengduring an emergency Cabinet meeting.

Garang's longtime deputy, Silva Kiir, was quickly named to succeedhim as head of his Sudan People's Liberation Army and as president ofsouth Sudan, Garang spokesman Yasser Arman told The Associated Press.

Kiir said he called a meeting of the Sudan People's LiberationMovement top decision-making body to assemble for an emergencymeeting.

The SPLM became part of the national unity government in July,when Garang became vice president.

Garang died when the helicopter he was flying in crashed into amountain in southern Sudan in bad weather, killing him and the other13 people on board, Sudan's government said today.

In the capital of neighboring Kenya, groups of southern Sudanesemen huddled to discuss Garang's death. Nairobi has been the base forGarang's southern Sudan liberation movement and is home to thousandsof southern Sudanese.