Southern Sudan gears up for referendum

By Partrick Mathangani in Juba, Southern Sudan

Edward Kenyi lifted his bloodstained machete and sliced chunks of meat. He arranged them in a row, and waved his hands to keep off flies.

Satisfied his wares were clearly visible to buyers swarming Juba Market, in Southern Sudan town, he leaned back to wait for customers.

"You asked about the referendum," he said, digging into his coat pocket to remove his voter’s card, which he waved proudly. "We want to vote for our independence. Everyone wants independence."

For a long time, he said, people in Southern Sudan have suffered under the rule of Northerners. Now, the referendum, slated for January 9, has offered a window for them to decide their destiny.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has dismissed claims of instability in the run-up to the vote and promised to ensure a free vote for unity or separation. [PHOTO: Martin Mukangu/STANDARD]

But the poll, which was agreed on after a Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, has stoked suspicion between the North and South. Like many people, Kenyi is worried that his relatives living in Khartoum may not be safe, following claims President Omar al Bashir’s Government would do anything to scuttle the vote.

The mood across Juba and most of the South is that of separation. After more than 20 years of civil war, which ended with the peace agreement signed in Kenya, many are gearing up to witness the birth of Africa’s newest nation.

Self rule

If voters opt for secession the South would have the autonomy for self-rule. However, Southerners, and members of Government within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLA), claim Khartoum is planning to rig the vote.

There are reports that fears about the post-referendum era has triggered an exodus of Southerners living in the North back to their homelands.

Internal Affairs Minister, Maj Gen Gier Chuang Aluong, claimed Khartoum was intimidating voters, and stopping people in the North from crossing into the South where they registered to cast ballots.

Civic education

Scores of local civil organisations have been crisscrossing the ten Southern Sudanese states, offering civic education. Taban James Dakada, director general of Greater Equitoria, Bashr-Gazal and Upper Nile Referendum Forum said the biggest problem has been to reach voters in remote parts, which lack proper transport and communication network.

"Many people can’t speak Arabic, let alone English," he said. "We’ve had to use locals who can speak the languages." The two are Sudan’s official languages. However, observers are upbeat the referendum will be conducted as scheduled and preparations are going on well. "It’s a job well done," Tanzania’s former President Benjamin Mkapa who is the Chairman of the United Nations’ Secretary General’s Panel on the Referendum told the Press last week after inspecting preparations for the poll.