[JURIST] Former commander of the military wing of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement [party website] (SPLM) Salva Kiir Mayardit [BBC profile] was sworn in as a vice-president of Sudan [JURIST news archive] and president of the southern autonomous government Thursday. He replaces John Garang de Maboir [BBC obituary] who negotiated the end to a 21 year civil war [Wikipedia entry] in January then died in a helicopter crash [JURIST report] on July 30. In his inaugural address, Kiir addressed fears that Garang's death would invalidate the peace deal, thus increasing violence in the south, and vowed to continue Garang's path to peace. He stated "I wish to affirm that it is neither my intention to turn from the route of John Garang nor to redefine the objectives of the [Sudan People's Liberation Movement]." He also stated he intended to work for peace throughout Sudan, including the war-torn region of Darfur [JURIST news archive] and eastern Sudan. AP has more.