Sudan's bishops decry lack of progress toward Jan. 9 referendum

(July 24, 2010) With less than six months to go before the Jan. 9 referendum on the future of Southern Sudan as an independent nation, Sudan's bishops have expressed concern that there is not enough time to finish preparations. In a statement released July 22 at the end of a weeklong meeting, Sudan's bishops called upon Sudanese officials in the country's northern and southern regions to ensure that the referendum for Southern Sudan - and a separate one for Abyei - take place "on time, in a free and fair manner, and that the outcomes are recognized and respected." They said many people throughout the country have expressed fear that the warring factions that signed the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement have not made the referendum a priority and "that transparency and inclusiveness are lacking." The referendum for southern Sudan will determine if the largely Christian and animist South, with its significant oil deposits, will secede from the Islamic North. Observers consider the referendum more important for Sudan's future than April's elections for national and regional offices. Regarding preparations for the referendum, the bishops cited, among other problems: lack of progress by the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission; no definition of a final border between the North and the South; and unclear voter eligibility requirements, so voters cannot register. They said voter awareness and education cannot begin without clarification of some of those issues. The bishops urged world leaders to assist in the technical, logistical and operational stages of the referendum, monitor the election process as it is organized and as it takes place, guarantee implementation of the results and mediate disagreements that might arise after the vote. In particular, the bishops called upon the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Norway, the United Nations and the Arab League to encourage the signatories to the peace agreement "to implement the referendum and to act in the interests of the people of Sudan as impartial and honest brokers."