* Fears fighting could erupt at any time, archbishop says
* International community must take action
By Michael Holden
LONDON, Oct 7 (Reuters) - The Archbishop of Sudan warned on Thursday that fighting could erupt at any time in his country and failure to hold a planned referendum on the independence for south Sudan would reignite a civil war.
Archbishop Daniel Deng called for the international community to ensure the vote went ahead on schedule, adding that even if it did, there was a danger of a humanitarian crisis as southern refugees were forced from the north of the country.
Sudan&${esc.hash}39;s 2005 peace accord which ended a decades-long civil war agreed there should be a referendum to decide on whether the semi-autonomous oil-producing south should secede.
That vote is due to be held on Jan. 9, 2011, but preparations are well behind schedule. [nLDE69427U]
"Come 9th of January, nothing happens, people will go back to war, that is our fear," Deng said at a news conference in London with Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual head of the Anglican Church.
The 2005 accord also agreed a second referendum should be held on whether the disputed oil-producing region of Abyei should join the south or the north. Deng said tensions between the rival soldiers in the area were growing rapidly.
He said there were fears "a fight could erupt at any time".
U.N. Security Council envoys arrived in southern Sudan this week to push for the plebiscite to take place on time to try to avert any future conflict. [ID:nHEA733922]
However Britain&${esc.hash}39;s Security Council ambassador said on Thursday that south Sudan&${esc.hash}39;s president had indicated his region might hold its own independence referendum if the north disrupted the planned vote, a move which would enrage Khartoum.
Williams accused the international community of taking its eyes off the need to implement the peace deal, and called on the British government to use its presidency of the U.N. Security Council next month to take action to avoid "the sort of disaster we all fear".
"I think the international community has an obligation to make sure the referendum is done," Deng said.
Both archbishops also spoke of their concern about the plight of some four million refugees from the south who faced being ejected from the north after the vote, with Deng saying the southern government could not deal with the influx.
"What we hear from the government in Khartoum is extremely disturbing about the future and the security of these communities in the north," Williams added.
Despite the tight timetable for the referendum, Deng said it could still be achieved.
"There is less than 90 days left for us, if people could work day and night, people could succeed," he said.
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