South Sudan census faces financial crisis
March 7, 2008 (JUBA, Sudan) — The body in charge of a vital census in southern Sudan said on Friday it will face a serious financial crisis unless the central government delivers delayed cash and approves a larger budget.
Isaiah Chol Aruai, chairman of the Southern Sudan Commission for Census, Statistics and Evaluation, told Reuters the national government in Khartoum owed his committee $7.2 million.
“Even if we were to get the (delayed) $7.2 million we would still have a deficit gap … of $4.5 million,” he said.
The census, set to start on April 15 for two weeks, is considered crucial for Sudan’s first democratic elections in 2009 after the end of the two-decade civil war between the north and south.
“We need the money now … If it is delayed beyond March 20 it’s already a crisis,” Aruai said. The commission will use the funds in part to pay for more field officers more than initially thought, he said.
Operational costs across the vast south with its poor infrastructure and security for the materials and enumerators have also driven the cost of the project up, he said.
KEY PART OF DEAL
The census is a key part of a 2005 peace deal between the north and south, which allowed for a semi-autonomous south ruled by former rebel group Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).
The group pulled out of the central government complaining about what they described as the northern partners’ lack of transparency over oil revenues as well as the slow funding of the census.
The southern census body said it has enough money to train enumerators on how to count people in scattered villages in the bushes, barracks and nomadic cattle camps.
But Aruai said money to pay for the enumeration itself, and then for data processing, is still missing. “I have raised (the issue) but there’s not any commitment,” he added.
Around 14,000 enumerators, supervisors and field officers will be needed to carry out the census, the committee’s director for census, Adwok Chol, told Reuters. In rural areas each enumerator will count around 150 households and up to 200 in towns, he said.
The war between the north and south, separate from continuing conflict in the Darfur region, left some two million people dead. Four million fled their homes as conflict over religion, ethnicity, ideology and oil raged on.
(Reuters)
Deng
South Sudan census faces financial crisis
Despite the financial issues associated with the census, I can’t believe that the census will only take two weeks, poor infrastructure, no trained staff, insecurity in different areas, and countless other problems.
If even if the census was to take place for a year there still will more problems to over come. I see in this census approach is that the NCP has fooled Goss again and there are going to get away with it usual.
Goss is not evening contemplating the saying that is reflected here with NCP “fool me once shame on you, fool twice shame me” Goss have been fooled, misguided and threaten many times.
Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy
South Sudan census faces financial crisis
Isaiah Chol Aruai,your stilling thinking about the process of enumerators, supervisors and field officers while nothing was organised to show that SS is going have sucessful census and also the issue of Abeyi border is not completed.Sorry for keeping the money in private accounts,nothing will be sucessful in SS region i agree strongly and fundamental,because right from leaders up to local workers every individual knows how to keep his/her stomach warm.lets live hopeless and keep our dreams as we are hoping
James James
South Sudan census faces financial crisis
Mr. Logic:
We need helpful ideas not insult after insult. I don’t understand dude, the tribe where the devil that fill you with that heart come from?
Better let your mouth rest for one single day and use it for kuete(local Brew).
For the burning issue of census, I think GoSS better leave Khartoum regime alone and try to pay the cost of south sudan censusby itself. because as my brother above stated, Khartoum will never pay that amount since its against this census bitterly, that might be the only thing we can do.
I don’t know whether that will be a good idea or not.
God bless.