KHARTOUM, Sudan – Sudan’s first multiparty elections in decades have been thrown into disarray by allegations of government violations and opposition threats of a boycott. The disputes wreck hopes of transforming a conflict-plagued nation and could instead end up fueling violence in Darfur and the south.

The election, set to begin April 11, had been billed as a chance to bring democracy to Sudan and start to heal a history of turmoil: 50 years of civil war between north and south that killed 2 million people, repeated military coups, and years of violence in the western Darfur region that the U.S. called the 21st century’s first genocide and that brought international war crimes charges against the president, Omar al-Bashir.

The United States and other nations have invested heavily in the elections, which are required under a 2005 peace deal between north and south mediated by Washington.

But experts say the elections are likely to be deeply flawed and won’t resolve the deep mistrust between the multiple sides — leaving the divisions that could once again re-ignite into violence.

“I think it is a hugely lost opportunity for Sudan,” said John Norris, executive director of the Washington-based advocacy group Enough project, which focuses on Darfur and Sudan.

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WARWICK, R.I. – U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano took a helicopter tour over still-flooded Rhode Island on Friday, witnessing waterlogged shopping malls and homes with people’s possessions laid out to dry in their yards, as residents and officials in the already economically troubled state pleaded for her to secure more federal aid.

Napolitano called the flooding “significant” and pledged the federal government’s help in the months to come. Elected leaders, including U.S. Reps. Jim Langevin and Patrick Kennedy, pressed for more than what’s already been promised to the state, where a disaster declaration was extended.

“We were already reeling from a bad economy. This is the last thing that Rhode Island could deal with, and yet, here we are,” Langevin, whose district was hardest hit, said to Napolitano during a news conference. “Families, individuals, businesses need the help, as soon as possible.”

The National Weather Service said it did not expect the Pawtuxet River, source of much of the flooding, to go below flood stage until at least Sunday. Many neighborhoods and businesses have been underwater since Monday due to three days of record-setting rain that caused the worst flooding in the state in at least 200 years. It was the second round of major flooding this month.

Gov. Don Carcieri has said the floods likely caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, and state labor officials said as many as 4,000 people are temporarily out of work. Carcieri on Friday expressed his appreciation to President Barack Obama and Napolitano for their support.

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