Two senior U.S. diplomats are meeting with the new leader of southern Sudan's former rebel movement Wednesday in an effort to ensure that the sudden death of Vice President John Garang will not derail the peace process.

The visit by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Connie Newman and special envoy for Sudan Roger Winter follows two days of riots in response to news of the death of Mr. Garang, the former rebel leader who became Sudan's vice president as part of a peace deal. At least 42 people died in the violence.

Mr. Garang was killed in a helicopter crash Saturday evening. He was a key player in the deal that ended 21 years of civil war between rebels in southern Sudan and the Khartoum government.

The U.S. diplomats plan to hold talks with government officials in Khartoum after their meetings in the south of the country.

Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AP.