Popular consultation in Blue Nile State reveals calls for autonomy

January 23, 2011 (NAIROBI) – The process of popular consultation in Sudan’s north-south border state of Blue Nile has entered its ninth day amid reports of public dissatisfaction and calls to accord the area autonomous rule inside north Sudan, heightening fears that Sudan could see future breakaways following the near-certain secession of south Sudan.

The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended nearly two-decades of civil war between north and south Sudan, includes a protocol on the resolution of the conflict in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan, both of which lies on the un-demarcated and volatile north-south border.

The protocol provides for the conduct of “popular consultations” in the two states in order to assess the CPA and subsequently redress any shortfalls in its implementation as a final settlement to the conflict in the areas which were previously war zones, with many from the areas siding with the south, during the years of the conflict.

However, the process does not entail any right to self-determination to the two areas which will remain inside north Sudan, unlike south Sudan which is set to gain full independence as a result of a referendum vote that took place between 9 and 15 January.

Malik Aggar, the Blue Nile governor and a senior member of the SPLM, which controls south Sudan, has listed the choice of autonomous rule in the confidential ballot paper which he cast on Saturday at a polling station in his hometown in Bau locality, Sudan Tribune has learned.

The process is taking place at 46 polling centers and is organized by an Assessment and Evaluation Commission formed by the state’s legislative assembly in which the majority of seats are held by the National Congress Party who govern north Sudan.

As stipulated in the CPA, the commission will submit its report to the federal government, which in turn will form another committee to conduct similar consultations in the two areas.

In light of the two reports, the federal government will decide whether or not there are any shortcomings in the deal to be rectified.

Meanwhile, a local official has reported that the vote is enjoying a high-turnout by local citizens who expressed dissatisfactions with the CPA.

Mamoun Hamad, an SPLM MP in the Blue Nile’s Legislative Council, told reporters on Saturday that the polling stations were witnessing high turnout amid the presence of the consultation commission members and international observers.

According to Hamad, the majority of citizens had said that the CPA failed to fulfill their aspiration.

He also claimed that military had recently amassed 2,000 soldiers in the state.

The popular consultation was supposed to take place by the fourth year of the CPA implementation (2009/10), but it has been delayed for a year due to delay in the elections.

In south Kordofan, the popular consultation may have to wait longer because elections had not been held there due to disagreements between the SPLM and the NCP over results of the population census and delimitation of geographical constituencies.

(ST)