Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Sudan: Key Challenges Ahead

Sudan: Key Challenges Ahead Voter Registration: Final registration lists were supposed to be published at least three months before the vote, but this has been delayed to mid‐November. The logistical challenges are huge. So far, the UN Mission in Sudan has promised support ‐ including transport of materials by helicopter to remote areas. About 3,600 registration centres are planned, including for Southerners living in the North. Southern Sudan Referendum Commission: The secretary general and members of the committees have been named, but cash has not yet been released. Half of the US$370m budget is expected to come from international donors and the rest from the Finance Ministry and the South’s government. In Abyei, the referendum commission has yet to be appointed. Referendum Questions: The exact phrasing has yet to be decided. Accompanying symbols will likely be used to denote the choices. Fears of Fraud: It is still not clear how voting eligibility for Southerners will be decided, especially those in the North or outside the country. A contested 2008 census estimated 500,000 Southerners in the North, but the Southern government and aid agencies put the number at more than 1.5m. There have recently been unconfirmed reports that authorities in the North are talking about a much higher figure—between 2.5 and five million—and that vast numbers of “ghost” registrations are being planned so as to make an agreed minimum turnout of 60% impossible to attain, thereby invalidating the result. The final decision requires a simple majority—50% plus one vote cast. A rerun would require another 60 days to organise. Deployment of Observers: The US‐based Carter Center has deployed 16 international observers to monitor the process, but that effort will be spread thinly over Africa’s largest nation. More international observers are expected, including from the European Union ( EU ) and African Union ( AU ), and domestic observers are preparing to monitor the processes too. North–South Tensions: Northern leaders claim pro‐unity campaigners in the South are being harassed, accusations denied by the South. In retaliation, the South points out that pro‐independence campaigners have little freedom in Khartoum. Tempers are fraying over claims that both sides are bolstering troop numbers along the still undefined border. This is denied by both sides, but observers believe tensions will increase as voting nears. Post‐Referendum Negotiations: Meetings continue to hammer out key issues such as future wealth sharing, border demarcation and citizenship. Although separate from the referenda, success in these dealings will be key for the future of Sudan. There are four working groups focusing on: citizenship; security; financial, economic and natural resources; and international treaties and agreements. The country’s vast oil reserves could help prevent the fragile peace from derailing entirely. Sudan is sub‐Saharan Africa’s third‐largest oil producer but more than 80% of known oil reserves are thought to lie in the South. With all pipelines running north, a peaceful agreement benefits both sides. Analysts also suggest Sudan’s $35bn debt could be a key bargaining chip for the South, if it took on a share and then sought to have it written off. Existing Problems: The South continues to face humanitarian challenges. Violence between rival communities has decreased, but flashpoints remain. At least 890 people have died and more than 188,000 been displaced since January, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Some 4.3m people affected by drought or floods will need aid in 2010—about half the population. (IRIN news service 1/10) http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series Wiley

Sudan: Key Challenges Ahead

Loading next page...
 
/lp/wiley/sudan-key-challenges-ahead-OOdB4ov0NU

References (0)

References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2010
ISSN
0001-9844
eISSN
1467-825X
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-825X.2010.03493.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Voter Registration: Final registration lists were supposed to be published at least three months before the vote, but this has been delayed to mid‐November. The logistical challenges are huge. So far, the UN Mission in Sudan has promised support ‐ including transport of materials by helicopter to remote areas. About 3,600 registration centres are planned, including for Southerners living in the North. Southern Sudan Referendum Commission: The secretary general and members of the committees have been named, but cash has not yet been released. Half of the US$370m budget is expected to come from international donors and the rest from the Finance Ministry and the South’s government. In Abyei, the referendum commission has yet to be appointed. Referendum Questions: The exact phrasing has yet to be decided. Accompanying symbols will likely be used to denote the choices. Fears of Fraud: It is still not clear how voting eligibility for Southerners will be decided, especially those in the North or outside the country. A contested 2008 census estimated 500,000 Southerners in the North, but the Southern government and aid agencies put the number at more than 1.5m. There have recently been unconfirmed reports that authorities in the North are talking about a much higher figure—between 2.5 and five million—and that vast numbers of “ghost” registrations are being planned so as to make an agreed minimum turnout of 60% impossible to attain, thereby invalidating the result. The final decision requires a simple majority—50% plus one vote cast. A rerun would require another 60 days to organise. Deployment of Observers: The US‐based Carter Center has deployed 16 international observers to monitor the process, but that effort will be spread thinly over Africa’s largest nation. More international observers are expected, including from the European Union ( EU ) and African Union ( AU ), and domestic observers are preparing to monitor the processes too. North–South Tensions: Northern leaders claim pro‐unity campaigners in the South are being harassed, accusations denied by the South. In retaliation, the South points out that pro‐independence campaigners have little freedom in Khartoum. Tempers are fraying over claims that both sides are bolstering troop numbers along the still undefined border. This is denied by both sides, but observers believe tensions will increase as voting nears. Post‐Referendum Negotiations: Meetings continue to hammer out key issues such as future wealth sharing, border demarcation and citizenship. Although separate from the referenda, success in these dealings will be key for the future of Sudan. There are four working groups focusing on: citizenship; security; financial, economic and natural resources; and international treaties and agreements. The country’s vast oil reserves could help prevent the fragile peace from derailing entirely. Sudan is sub‐Saharan Africa’s third‐largest oil producer but more than 80% of known oil reserves are thought to lie in the South. With all pipelines running north, a peaceful agreement benefits both sides. Analysts also suggest Sudan’s $35bn debt could be a key bargaining chip for the South, if it took on a share and then sought to have it written off. Existing Problems: The South continues to face humanitarian challenges. Violence between rival communities has decreased, but flashpoints remain. At least 890 people have died and more than 188,000 been displaced since January, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Some 4.3m people affected by drought or floods will need aid in 2010—about half the population. (IRIN news service 1/10)

Journal

Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural SeriesWiley

Published: Nov 1, 2010

There are no references for this article.