(CNN) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will join other world leaders Friday to discuss Sudan amid fears of violence as the country gears up for a referendum that could see it split into two nations.
The vote is scheduled for January.
It would allow the autonomous southern region -- which holds a majority of the nation's oil -- to secede from the north.
Fears that the process would cause more instability in the war-torn nation have sparked concerns among the international community.
"The worst case scenario is war. Nobody wants war, but both sides are preparing for war," said John Ashworth, a southern Sudan analyst. "There are still major stumbling blocks. We have just over a hundred days to the referendum, and virtually nothing is in place".
Analysts say that a failure in Sudan would have broader implications, including sparking instability in the region.
International aid agencies are urging world leaders to act as the referendum nears.
"Failure to act risks a new eruption of violence and threatens the future of Africa's largest country, with just over 100 days until the referendum to decide whether the south should remain part of Sudan," five international aid agencies said in a letter to world leaders.
CNN
