Pre-referendum Information About Southern Sudan

widge — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:46:26 +0000

[Montréal, Québec, Canada -5°C] There are only four days remaining until Southern Sudan’s January 9 self-determination referendum begins its 7 days of voting. According to a Sudan Tribune article posted on AllAfrica, a total of 3.9 million people have registered to vote. Numbers released by the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) a few days ago divide the figures into registrations in the south: 3.7 million, in the north: 116,000, and 60,000 in the diaspora: Australia, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the UK and the USA. During the latest cencus, there is an estimated population of 8 million Southern Sudanese. For the referendum to be legimitate, 60% of registered voters need to participate in the vote.

As I follow events in Southern Sudan and add articles to my headlines timeline, people continually ask me basic questions about Sudan. Below I’ve included a few videos that have recently been posted online. They should provide a descent background for those wanting to learn more as Southern Sudanese are set to what is generally believed to choose to create Africa’s newest independent country.

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Sudan: History of a Broken Land

As the people of southern Sudan prepare to vote in a referendum that may see them secede from the North, Al Jazeera maps the turbulent history of a country on the verge of a momentous decision.

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Crossroads Sudan: Sudan’s path to development

Al Jazeera looks at the economic challenges Sudan will be facing after a possible secession of the South.

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Sudan Referendum

On Sunday, Southern Sudan will begin a week-long referendum on whether to break off from Sudan and form a new independent state. The vote is being held under the 2005 peace agreement that ended a nearly four-decade civil war between the North and South that killed some 2.5 million Sudanese. The people of South Sudan are widely expected to approve secession, and the vote has stoked fears of renewed violence in Africa’s largest nation. by Democracy Now

Southern Sudan Referendum Rules for Out-of-Country Registration & Voting

widge — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:45:19 +0000

[Montréal, Québec, Canada 10°C] Registration for Southern Sudan’s self-determination referendum begins today and continues until December 1, 2010. According to the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) website, registration and voting centers have been established in 8 countries “with the largest numbers of Southern Sudanese living outside Sudan.” The countries are Australia, Canada (Toronto and Calgary), Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA). The International Organization for Migration (IOM) will be assisting the SSRC at its request in organizing the OCV.”

To be eligible to participate in the January 9, 2011 referendum, voters must meet one of three criteria as established by the SSRC: 1) Voter who belongs to one of the indigenous ethnic communities residing in the Southern Sudan (on or before January 1956; 2) Voter who traces his/her ancestry to one of the indigenous ethnic communities in Southern Sudan, but has not permanently resided in the south (without interruption) before or since Jan 1956; and 3) voter who does not belong to one of the indigenous ethnic communities in the Southern Sudan, but he/she or his/her parents or grand-parents are permanently residing in the South (without interruption) since 1st January 1956.

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Below are two video interviews by Ariic Reng, Canadian Outreach Assistant with the International Organization for Migration:

Interview with Dr. Mom Kou Nhial Arou, Assistant Secretary General, Southern Sudan Referendum Commission

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Interview with Gatdeet Wakou, Canadian Representative, Southern Sudan Referendum Commission

South Sudan Info » diaspora

Pre-referendum Information About Southern Sudan

Southern Sudan Referendum Rules for Out-of-Country Registration & Voting