Friday, 18 February 2011 11:31

Written by IRIN pm/eo/cb

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[JUBA] The release of referendum results for Southern Sudan’s historic independence showing that 98.83 percent voted for secession means formal independence is scheduled for 9 July 2011, but key challenges still remain to be negotiated.

These issues, observers say, must now be hammered out by the two ruling parties - the north's National Congress Party (NCP) and the south's Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked the international community "to assist all Sudanese towards greater stability and development", while US President Barack Obama welcomed the "successful and inspiring referendum” but urged north and south to work quickly on post-referendum arrangements.

Friday, 31 December 2010 07:51

Written by World and Media

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The ballot papers designed by the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission are elegantly straightforward. In words and symbols, voters in South Sudan will be offered the choice between separation and unity with the North on January 9. One hand represents separation. Two clasped hands represent unity.

The majority of voters are expected to choose separation but any celebrations in the South are at risk of being replaced by disappointment or even conflict.

Even if Northern Sudan does not try to prevent secession, there is no guarantee that the transition to independence will be peaceful, nor that South Sudan will be able to function as a normal state in the first years following independence.

The South's referendum will take place on the sixth anniversary of the signing of a North/South peace agreement on January 9, 2005.

The progress to date with preparations for January 9 suggest that the Khartoum government may respect the result. It remains to be seen if there will be outbreaks of violence, whether government-orchestrated or not. Earlier this year, the Brussels-based Crisis Group (ICG) described the North-South border as "dangerously militarised".

Wednesday, 29 December 2010 20:40

Written by IRIN eo/am/mw

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[JUBA] A January referendum in Southern Sudan is likely to lead to the creation of a new country - the first in Africa since Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 - but much work needs to be done to ensure the separation is more peaceful than that of its Horn of Africa neighbours.

“It is like a divorce,” Chaplain Kara Yokoju, a professor at Juba University and a specialist in international relations, told IRIN in the Southern capital.

“Once concluded, you may have to sell the house so that each party takes away something. You cannot divide the house and the bricks into two and give each party some to carry away,” he added

“The foundations for a constructive post-referendum relationship are yet to be laid,” warned the International Crisis Group in a new report, adding that the pace of negotiations to date was “cause for concern”.

Wednesday, 29 December 2010 19:05

Written by IRIN cm/oa/cb

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[NAIROBI] A series of reports have been issued ahead of Southern Sudan’s 9 January 2011 independence referendum. They cover developments on the ground, prospects for a future divided country and the risks of renewed war. Here are some of the highlights:

The African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) on Sudan, led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, highlights the question of the north-south border and areas which remain unresolved. A Panel chairperson’s report dated 30 November urges a decision on border demarcation before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) expires on 9 July 2011. In the Panel’s opinion, a settlement of the Abyei issue would need to include the implementation of existing agreements and take account of the concept of Abyei as a “bridge” between north and south, as specified in the CPA.