Unity state: forty five referendum sub-committees sworn in

By Bonifacio Taban Kuich

October 18, 2010 (BENTIU) – The South Sudan Referendum Bureau (SSRC) chairperson Justice Chan Rey Madut witnessed the swearing-in ceremonies of forty five county sub-committees on Sunday evening in Bentiu the capital of Unity state.

South Sudan in due to vote on whether it wishes to separate from the north in a referendum due to take place in January. The south is widely expected to vote for to become a new country.

The preparations is well behind schedule but is still expected to go ahead on 9 January 2011 as agreed in a peace agreement that ended 22 years of civil war between north and south.

Madut said that the sub-committees would receive training right up to the day before the referendum to prepare them for the poll.

The chairperson also announced that the United Nations delivered referendum materials including computers, printers, motorbikes, generators and the registration kits and other items on Friday to the UNMIS warehouse in Juba the capital of Southern Sudan.

Achier Deng, a member of South Sudan Referendum Bureau told Sudan Tribune, that registration will take 17 days beginning on 14 November and ending 4 December.

The official cautioned civilians that they would only be able to vote at the centre they registered at.

In a workshop on 18 October professor Simon Majok, the deputy chairperson for the state high referendum committees together with Deng divided Unity state into 281 registration centers.

Each county will have the following number of registration centers:

Payinjiar county – 31
Mayindit county – 26
Koch county – 21
Leer County – 24
Parieng County – 49
Guit County – 38
Rubkotna County – 42
Abiemhnom County – 10
Mayom County – 50

There shall be an additional 11 voting centers in case there is high turn out during the registrations process, say state officials.

(ST)