Juba , Sudan ( CNN ) -- The president of Sudan will visit South Sudan when it marks its independence from the north on Saturday , a government official said Thursday . President Omar al-Bashir will make the trip as an expression of hope for `` brotherly relations '' between his government based in the north and South Sudan , his spokesman said . South Sudan is to become the world 's newest country Saturday after South Sudan natives voted overwhelmingly in January for independence . The referendum to split was part of a 2005 peace deal to end decades of violence between the two sides . The planned visit comes amid tense relations between north and South Sudan . Violence erupted two months ago along the contested border area of Abyei and subsequently in South Kordofan , a state that lies north of the border but where many people , especially in the Nuba Mountains , are allied with the south . Thousands of people were displaced and many fear that after strict borders go into place with independence , they will not be able to return home . Critical issues -- including oil and the final status of Abyei -- remain unresolved days before the separation .
President Omar al-Bashir will visit South Sudan when it marks its independence . South Sudan is to become the world 's newest country on Saturday .