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| Africa North |
| The Vote to Split Sudan |
| 2010-11-16 |
| Juba: Everyone around here is getting ready for Africa’s big divorce. Sudan, the largest country on the continent, is on the verge of splitting up, with the south about to vote on whether to secede from the north after decades of war, mistrust and marginalization. On Monday a major step was taken in that direction — voter registration — and judging by the mood here in the capital of southern Sudan, the differences seemed irreconcilable. The long-awaited referendum on southern Sudan’s independence, set in motion by a 2005 peace agreement to stop one of Africa’s worst civil wars, is scheduled for Jan. 9, fundamentally altering the nearly one-million-square-mile nation of Sudan, which for many troubled decades served as a bridge between the Arab and African worlds. In Juba, lines of expectant voters snaked through the slums and spilled onto the streets. People waited patiently under a beating sun to stamp a thumbprint in the registrar’s book and walk away with a voting card. The southerners, many of whom are former bush fighters, are not exactly known for their efficiency. The preparations for the referendum are far behind schedule and the timeline before the vote has been drastically shortened, with little room for error. Complicating matters, the north-south border still has not been demarcated, with bitter disputes about the most lucrative oil-producing areas. Juba is hardly waiting, and it feels as if something big is about to happen here. The town is plastered with political posters — “Separation=Peace,” “The Final Walk to Freedom,” “I Love New Sudan.” Even private businesses are trying to cash in, like Feeder Airlines, whose slogan is, “Your flight with us is an investment to your baby nation.” That baby is growing in every direction. The streets are clogged with traffic, including new BMWs and fat, shiny Hummers. Construction is going on everywhere — cranes, cement trucks, bulldozers, new furniture stores, new office blocks, new minimarts — as if racing against the clock. And just in case anyone here is not keeping track, there is a clock in downtown Juba showing the countdown to the referendum, in bright red digital numbers, down to the minute. Southern Sudan is different in culture and religion from the northern part of the country, with Arab and Muslim influences predominating in the north and animist and Christian beliefs in the south. Most analysts do not expect a major conflict to break out over the referendum. But with the majority of Sudan’s oil in the south, many find it equally hard to believe that the north will simply let it go. Things here are uncertain, but jubilant at the same time. There are joyous reunions every day at Juba International Airport, which not so long ago received only a handful of military and humanitarian flights. Now it is an emerging commercial hub, with up to 80 flights a day. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #2 I doubt this will happen because from the Muslim point of view it had been "Muslim land", and so was there's forever. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-11-16 16:25 |
| #1 I hope and pray this happens. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2010-11-16 16:17 |