Sudanese Referendum Delayed

Robert Duncan

Friday, October 15, 2010

3:41 PM

The referendum vote that is scheduled for January 9^th of 2011 may now be pushed back “a few months”. The Sudanese National Congress Party (NCP) has, as of Thursday, declared: “It is very clear that right now it is not possible to have the Abyei referendum on 9 Jan 2011.” They also stated that during the next series of talks they would be discussing “other alternatives.” An area administrator for the Abyei region responded to these statements by warning the government that the residents of the area will not accept a delay, and will likely hold their own vote without the government’s involvement. According to SPLM (Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement) leaders, there is no acceptable reason to delay the vote, saying that Abyei is fully prepared to vote. There is also a disagreement on the eligibility of voters. The protocol adopted in 2009 says that all residents of the Abyei region are eligible to vote in the referendum, whereas the SPLM believes that anyone who has spent more than seven months in the region is eligible to vote.

Southern Sudan is experiencing yet another roadblock on the road to peace for its people. The Northern government is requesting that the referendum for control of Abyei be delayed by months, which would put that vote after the vote that would determine whether the South would declare independence of the North. There could be terrible repercussions if the vote is held after the Southerners declare independence. If the South declares independence, then the border will not be set until after the vote. The vote happening after the separation of North and South could end in more fighting if the region who has lost Abyei feels that they have been cheated. This might spark further violence throughout the nation, leading to another state of civil war.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/10/20101014115022368894.html