Sudan goes to polls in secession referendum
Source: Agencies |
January 10, 2011, Monday
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WOMEN broke out in song and men wrapped themselves in flags as voters in Southern Sudan began casting ballots yesterday in a week-long independence referendum likely to create the world's newest nation about five years after the end of a brutal civil war.
The oil-rich, mainly Christian south is widely expected to secede from the mainly Muslim north, splitting Africa's largest country in two. The north has promised to let the south go peacefully.
"This is the historic moment the people of Southern Sudan have been waiting for," said Southern Sudan President Salva Kiir as he cast his vote in front of a cheering crowd of hundreds in front of the polling station. Sudan activist George Clooney and American Senator John Kerry were on hand to watch Kiir vote.
Kiir, wearing his trademark black cowboy hat, appeared visibly emotional as he remembered the 2 million people killed in 1983-2005 civil war. He also honored rebel leader John Garang, who died in a plane crash shortly after the peace deal was signed.
Many voters lined up in the middle of the night, and some slept at the site of Garang's grave, where Kiir voted. Among the voters was Mawien Mabut, a 36-year-old soldier who was grinning widely as he lined up to cast his ballot.
"I have seen the inside of war so we have to stop the war now. We are happy the Arabs are going away," he said.
This week's referendum is part of a 2005 peace deal that ended the two-decade civil war between the north and south. Voters can mark one of two choices - a single hand for independence or two clasped hands for unity. The illustrations are necessary because only 15 percent of the region's 8.7 million -people can read.
Southerners, who mainly define themselves as African, have long resented their underdevelopment, accusing the northern Arab-dominated government of taking their oil revenues without investing in the south.
Southern Sudan is among the world's poorest regions, and the United Nations says a 15-year-old girl has a higher chance of dying in childbirth than finishing school.
Sudan will lose a third of its land, nearly a quarter of its population and much of its main money-maker - oil. In recent weeks the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, has sought to play down fears of potential violence, saying the north will accept a vote for secession.
About 117,000 southerners who live in the north also registered to vote, but the scene at one polling station in Sudan's capital of Khartoum was far removed from the joyous scenes in the south. Many southerners fear retribution from northerners if they vote.
A large billboard in downtown Khartoum featured a picture of al-Bashir dressed in feathered southern headgear with the words: "No to separation, together, together."
At one high school polling station in Khartoum, about a dozen staffers and observers sat but no voters appeared. Another station in Bahri neighborhood saw only a trickle of voters and some voted against independence.
"I voted today, and frankly, I voted for unity," said Aldod Akon Deng, 65, who is originally from the south. "I am here since 1964. My kids are all born in Khartoum. That's why I voted for unity. I've been raised here. My family grew up here. Even if there's separation, I'll stay here."
The north and south still need to negotiate the distribution of oil revenues, rights to the White Nile, borders and citizenship rights.
Independence wouldn't take place before July 9, when the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement expires and a new agreement must take its place.
About 3.9 million people registered to vote. A simple majority must vote for separation for the referendum to pass, but 60 percent of registered voters must cast ballots for the vote to be valid. After the polls close next Saturday, local polling stations will begin tallying and posting results as more than 4,000 local and international observers watch. Final results won't be certified until February.
The oil-rich, mainly Christian south is widely expected to secede from the mainly Muslim north, splitting Africa's largest country in two. The north has promised to let the south go peacefully.
"This is the historic moment the people of Southern Sudan have been waiting for," said Southern Sudan President Salva Kiir as he cast his vote in front of a cheering crowd of hundreds in front of the polling station. Sudan activist George Clooney and American Senator John Kerry were on hand to watch Kiir vote.
Kiir, wearing his trademark black cowboy hat, appeared visibly emotional as he remembered the 2 million people killed in 1983-2005 civil war. He also honored rebel leader John Garang, who died in a plane crash shortly after the peace deal was signed.
Many voters lined up in the middle of the night, and some slept at the site of Garang's grave, where Kiir voted. Among the voters was Mawien Mabut, a 36-year-old soldier who was grinning widely as he lined up to cast his ballot.
"I have seen the inside of war so we have to stop the war now. We are happy the Arabs are going away," he said.
This week's referendum is part of a 2005 peace deal that ended the two-decade civil war between the north and south. Voters can mark one of two choices - a single hand for independence or two clasped hands for unity. The illustrations are necessary because only 15 percent of the region's 8.7 million -people can read.
Southerners, who mainly define themselves as African, have long resented their underdevelopment, accusing the northern Arab-dominated government of taking their oil revenues without investing in the south.
Southern Sudan is among the world's poorest regions, and the United Nations says a 15-year-old girl has a higher chance of dying in childbirth than finishing school.
Sudan will lose a third of its land, nearly a quarter of its population and much of its main money-maker - oil. In recent weeks the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, has sought to play down fears of potential violence, saying the north will accept a vote for secession.
About 117,000 southerners who live in the north also registered to vote, but the scene at one polling station in Sudan's capital of Khartoum was far removed from the joyous scenes in the south. Many southerners fear retribution from northerners if they vote.
A large billboard in downtown Khartoum featured a picture of al-Bashir dressed in feathered southern headgear with the words: "No to separation, together, together."
At one high school polling station in Khartoum, about a dozen staffers and observers sat but no voters appeared. Another station in Bahri neighborhood saw only a trickle of voters and some voted against independence.
"I voted today, and frankly, I voted for unity," said Aldod Akon Deng, 65, who is originally from the south. "I am here since 1964. My kids are all born in Khartoum. That's why I voted for unity. I've been raised here. My family grew up here. Even if there's separation, I'll stay here."
The north and south still need to negotiate the distribution of oil revenues, rights to the White Nile, borders and citizenship rights.
Independence wouldn't take place before July 9, when the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement expires and a new agreement must take its place.
About 3.9 million people registered to vote. A simple majority must vote for separation for the referendum to pass, but 60 percent of registered voters must cast ballots for the vote to be valid. After the polls close next Saturday, local polling stations will begin tallying and posting results as more than 4,000 local and international observers watch. Final results won't be certified until February.
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