JUBA, Sudan — Everyone around here is getting ready for Africa’s big divorce.

Sudan, the largest country on the continent, is on the verge of splitting up, with the south about to vote on whether to secede from the north after decades of war, mistrust and marginalization.

On Monday a major step was taken in that direction — voter registration — and judging by the mood here in the capital of southern Sudan, the differences seemed irreconcilable.

“We’ve been mistreated for years,” said Zachariah Stephanos, a university student.

“They haven’t shared our wealth equally,” said Jacob Khor, a security guard.

“We’re ready to be on our own,” said Moses Taban, an election official.

The long-awaited referendum on southern Sudan’s independence, set in motion by a 2005 peace agreement to stop one of Africa’s worst civil wars, is scheduled for Jan. 9, fundamentally altering the nearly one-million-square-mile nation of Sudan, which for many troubled decades served as a bridge between the Arab and African worlds.