Insecurity could hinder national census in South Sudan

March 16, 2007 (NAIROBI) — Preparations for the population census in Sudan, expected to take place in mid-November, are going on well, but security remains an obstacle, a Sputh Sudan census responsible said.

The Southern Sudan Commission for Census, Statistics and Evaluation advisor to the national census commission, Daud Ali, warned that landmines and continuing insecurity in some parts of southern Sudan may pose a challenge to the census takers, who are called enumerators.

He also said the presence of the Lord’s Resistance Army in parts of Equatoria may make it difficult for enumerators to go to some places.

“The existence of the LRA in Western Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria, they always cause security problems. For a census to take place the situation must be calm. There must be no security problem, so that the enumerators can go around to conduct the census. Not only that, but there are some areas in southern Sudan where landmines have not been cleared.” said Daud Ali.

Ali told the Sudan radio service (SRS) said the Government of Southern Sudan is working to resolve these problems and secure all ten states of southern Sudan so that every single person in the region can be counted.

He said another challenge facing the census is the return of about 4 million people from displacement camps in northern Sudan and outside the country. Ali urges all southern Sudanese to try and be in southern Sudan on November 14th so that they are counted, as the outcome, he says, will determine percentages for wealth and power sharing.

(SRS)