US President Barack Obama has hailed the
start of a landmark referendum on
independence in Southern Sudan.
He said the week-long vote - which is expected to
result in Africa's largest country being split in two
- represented a "new chapter in history".
The poll was agreed as part of the 2005 deal that
ended a two-decade civil war.
The mainly Muslim north has promised to allow
the potential new country, where most people
are Christian or animists, to secede peacefully.
Mr Obama said in a statement: "After 50 years of
civil wars that have killed two million people and
turned millions more into refugees this is the
opportunity before the people of Southern
Sudan."
He added that the action of Sudanese leaders
would help determine whether Sudanese people
move "toward peace and prosperity, or slide
backward into bloodshed".
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has promised
to respect the outcome, but warned an
independent south would face instability.
Southern Sudanese voters are faced with two
symbols on the ballot paper - a single hand for
independence or two clasped hands to remain
one country.
South Sudanese leader Salva Kiir, casting his
ballot on Sunday, urged people to "be patient", in
case they were not able to vote on the first day of
polling.
Turnout in the referendum will be important, as
the 2005 peace agreement stipulates that for the
vote to be valid, 60% of the 3.8 million registered
voters must take part.
Violence
Veronica De Keyes, head of the the European
Union observer team in Juba, said voting
appeared to have started well.
"What I observed this morning was very moving
in the sense that you can feel it, in the crowd, the
expectation of the people is important," she said
on Sunday.
However the run-up to the vote was marred by
clashes between the south Sudanese military and
rebels in the oil-rich Unity state.
There are also reports of fighting between
southerners and Arab nomads over grazing
rights for their cattle in the disputed oil-rich region
of Abyei, long seen as a potential flashpoint which
could trigger wider violence.
Abyei was due to hold a separate referendum on
whether to join north or south Sudan but this has
been postponed indefinitely because of
disagreements over eligibility.
North and south Sudan have suffered decades of
conflict driven by religious and ethnic divides.
Southern Sudan is one of the least developed
areas in the world and many of its people have
have long complained of mistreatment at the
hands of the Khartoum government.
Last week Mr Bashir said he understood why
many southerners wanted independence, but he
expressed concern at how the new nation would
cope.
"The south suffers from many problems," told
the Arabic news channel al-Jazeera.
"It's been at war since 1959. The south does not
have the ability to provide for its citizens or create
a state or authority."
Mr Bashir said southerners living in the north
would not be allowed dual citizenship, and floated
the idea of the two nations joining in an EU-style
bloc.
The official result of the referendum is not due to
be announced for at least four weeks, partly
because of the logistical difficulties gathering the
ballot papers from across a region the size of
France and Germany that has few paved roads.
Sudan: A country divided
Obama welcomes
vote on Southern
Sudan
independence
The vote on independence is being held over a
week
One country or two?
Bye bye Khartoum
Q&A: South Sudan
referendum
Vote in pictures
Sudan's Historic Vote
Voting: 9-15 January
To pass, 60% of those registered need to vote
plus majority of ballots
Vote a condition of 2005 deal to end two-decade
north-south conflict
Most northerners are Arabic-speaking Muslims
Most southerners Christian or follow traditional
religions
Oil-rich Abyei area to hold separate vote on
whether to join north or south
Referendum could divide Africa's largest country
Final result due 6 February or 14 February if there
are appeals
South would become continent's newest nation
on 9 July 2011
National anthem and flag chosen, but not new
country's name
Sudanese voters: Your stories
The great divide across Sudan is visible even
from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows.
The northern states are a blanket of desert,
broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. Southern
Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland,
swamps and tropical forest.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12148935
start of a landmark referendum on
independence in Southern Sudan.
He said the week-long vote - which is expected to
result in Africa's largest country being split in two
- represented a "new chapter in history".
The poll was agreed as part of the 2005 deal that
ended a two-decade civil war.
The mainly Muslim north has promised to allow
the potential new country, where most people
are Christian or animists, to secede peacefully.
Mr Obama said in a statement: "After 50 years of
civil wars that have killed two million people and
turned millions more into refugees this is the
opportunity before the people of Southern
Sudan."
He added that the action of Sudanese leaders
would help determine whether Sudanese people
move "toward peace and prosperity, or slide
backward into bloodshed".
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has promised
to respect the outcome, but warned an
independent south would face instability.
Southern Sudanese voters are faced with two
symbols on the ballot paper - a single hand for
independence or two clasped hands to remain
one country.
South Sudanese leader Salva Kiir, casting his
ballot on Sunday, urged people to "be patient", in
case they were not able to vote on the first day of
polling.
Turnout in the referendum will be important, as
the 2005 peace agreement stipulates that for the
vote to be valid, 60% of the 3.8 million registered
voters must take part.
Violence
Veronica De Keyes, head of the the European
Union observer team in Juba, said voting
appeared to have started well.
"What I observed this morning was very moving
in the sense that you can feel it, in the crowd, the
expectation of the people is important," she said
on Sunday.
However the run-up to the vote was marred by
clashes between the south Sudanese military and
rebels in the oil-rich Unity state.
There are also reports of fighting between
southerners and Arab nomads over grazing
rights for their cattle in the disputed oil-rich region
of Abyei, long seen as a potential flashpoint which
could trigger wider violence.
Abyei was due to hold a separate referendum on
whether to join north or south Sudan but this has
been postponed indefinitely because of
disagreements over eligibility.
North and south Sudan have suffered decades of
conflict driven by religious and ethnic divides.
Southern Sudan is one of the least developed
areas in the world and many of its people have
have long complained of mistreatment at the
hands of the Khartoum government.
Last week Mr Bashir said he understood why
many southerners wanted independence, but he
expressed concern at how the new nation would
cope.
"The south suffers from many problems," told
the Arabic news channel al-Jazeera.
"It's been at war since 1959. The south does not
have the ability to provide for its citizens or create
a state or authority."
Mr Bashir said southerners living in the north
would not be allowed dual citizenship, and floated
the idea of the two nations joining in an EU-style
bloc.
The official result of the referendum is not due to
be announced for at least four weeks, partly
because of the logistical difficulties gathering the
ballot papers from across a region the size of
France and Germany that has few paved roads.
Sudan: A country divided
Obama welcomes
vote on Southern
Sudan
independence
The vote on independence is being held over a
week
One country or two?
Bye bye Khartoum
Q&A: South Sudan
referendum
Vote in pictures
Sudan's Historic Vote
Voting: 9-15 January
To pass, 60% of those registered need to vote
plus majority of ballots
Vote a condition of 2005 deal to end two-decade
north-south conflict
Most northerners are Arabic-speaking Muslims
Most southerners Christian or follow traditional
religions
Oil-rich Abyei area to hold separate vote on
whether to join north or south
Referendum could divide Africa's largest country
Final result due 6 February or 14 February if there
are appeals
South would become continent's newest nation
on 9 July 2011
National anthem and flag chosen, but not new
country's name
Sudanese voters: Your stories
The great divide across Sudan is visible even
from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows.
The northern states are a blanket of desert,
broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. Southern
Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland,
swamps and tropical forest.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12148935
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