South Sudan celebrates preliminary referendum results – 99% vote for separation
By Julius N. Uma
January 30, 2010 (JUBA) – Preliminary results announced on Sunday by the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) indicated that 99.57 percent of voters in the ten states of south Sudan voted for independence in the region’s self determination plebiscite.
In the south 3,697,467 voted for independence, with this figure rising to over 3.8 million when including votes from elsewhere. A total of 44,888 voted for unity, 16,129 of which were cast in the south.
While in the north, 57.65 percent (38,003) of voters chose separation, with 42 percent (27,918) voting for unity. However, out of the 116,857 voters who registered in the north, only 69,597 of them voted.
Southern Sudanese in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Australia, Canada, U.S. and UK, showed overwhelming support for separation, with 98.55 percent opting for secession.
Soon after the announcement of the results, thousands of Southern Sudanese cheered and danced during Sunday’s event in Juba, the southern capital, attended by religious leaders, government officials, diplomats, UN, development partners and civil society members among others.
Security personnel struggled to calm down jubilant citizens, many of whom attempted to join the area occupied by local and international journalists attending the announcement.
The referendum was part of a 2005 peace deal between the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the National Congress Party (NCP).
While officiating at the colorful event held at John Garang mausoleum, a seemingly delighted president Kiir praised efforts of the SSRC; a body he said worked tirelessly under “difficult circumstances” to deliver the referendum and the results on schedule.
“Maburuk Lekum million marra” he said in Arabic, which means congratulations to you one million times.
Reacting to the preliminary figures announced, the South Sudan leader remarked, “the inhumane treatment southerners were subjected to by the northern regime during the long years of war has clearly manifested itself in this overwhelming vote for separation”.
An independent south, Kiir reiterated, will maintain a cordial relationship with the north as twin nations and he emphasized the importance of maintaining peaceful relations with neighbors like Uganda and Kenya.
The southern leader, also Sudan’s first vice-president said attention should now be focused on the Abyei referendum, popular consultations in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile as well as prospects of peacefully resolving the conflict in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region.
Kiir extended his gratitude to the people of southern Sudan for keeping their promise to vote for the independence of their own country.
“No one has forced anybody to vote but today we are witnessing a historic moment that has never happened since the creation of South Sudan, with the results today, I congratulate all of you sons and daughters of this region” he said.
“You have voted for your freedom and to become a true citizen of southern Sudan, if Sudan could be one country still we can remain sisters and brothers with north and continue to share common things” he said.
Kiir prayed for those who had died in the south’s struggle but said they had not died in vain.
He went on reassure the people of southern Sudan that, although they had voted for independence there are still some big challenges and problems ahead of the region, which is one of the poorest in the world.
“The 21 years of the struggle has yield fruits and nobody has come from outside country to develop our country but it is you the citizens who have develop by yourselves” he added
“The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) has been overcome, the remaining part is the formality, and you have done your part,” said Kiir congratulating the crowd.
“As things stand now, there is need for a constitutional bond of relationships between the north and it newly emerging neighbor in the south. But above all, we need to focus on creating strong economic relations as well as respect for neighboring communities,” the SSRC boss said.
Khalil, however, said much attention will be diverted towards the historical and geographic al bonds between north and south Sudan, adding that imminent challenges await South Sudan’s post-referendum era.
“How are we going to solve the problems that still lie at stake? There is need for a strong consensus between north and south, since the two were under one country for a long time”, Khalil said.
At the same occasion, Justice Chan Reec Madut, who headed the south-based referendum bureau, lauded the pivotal role played by the international community in the success of the long-awaited referendum.
Specifically, Justice Chan, also SSRC’s deputy Chairperson commended the technical and moral support given by the international community, through the UN-initiated Basket Fund. The fund, estimated at $58 million, consisted of pooled contributions from the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway, France, and Britain among other EU nations.
Equally vital, Justice Chan said were the tremendous contributions made by civil society organizations in civil education and creating awareness, especially among the rural population.
Erik Solheim, the Norwegian Minister for Environment and International Relations, pledged his government’s continued commitment towards assisting Southern Sudan, but urged the independent nation to focus on building good relations with its neighbors and development partners.
President Kiir also used the opportunity to call upon the media to improve their reporting, refuting allegations by some newspapers that he wanted to withdraw from the national government based in Khartoum with all his southern staff.
“You have got the responsibility to stay both in the north and south, although we separate and become an independent state, we can be “two twins country” that will represent the common interest of the citizens”.
Kiir warned people not to remove Sudanese national flags until July 9 when he said the flag will be officially lowered in the presence of the President of Republic of Sudan, Omer Hassan al-Bashir. Bashir would then ceremoniously take the flag back to Khartoum, Kiir said.
The President also cautioned the criminals who steal from people’s houses at night and ordered the Minister of Internal Affairs in the south and the Minister of SPLA Affairs to track down the criminals and immediately bring them to book.
“The south needs to be peaceful and democratic country like Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, the north will be our neighbor and we shall continue to be in peace”, Kiir said.
Kiir gave his sincere appreciation to the President al-Bashir for accepting to negotiate the (CPA) and for making sure the referendum was carried out on time. He thanked al-Bashir who leads Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party “for the wise decisions he took for allowing the south to vote for the self determination of the country”.
“The National Congress Party has done a lot of work, they could obstruct the Referendum but we have permanement relationship with them that is why we have started negotiating the peace since 2005, although we fail to become a new state we shall still remains brothers and sisters”.
CIVIL SOCIETY REACTION
Echoing the same tone, Ayuen Kur, a co-Director for My Referendum for Freedom (MRF) told Sudan Tribune that the preliminary results, which largely favored separation were a clear indication that the choice of the majority cannot be ignored or taken for granted.
“It’s historic a moment. I have never felt this kind of atmosphere before. This is a true indication that the people of southern Sudan can mean to unite for a common cause,” John Andruga, the Chairperson of a civil society coalition for the referendum remarked.
(ST)
Bol Deng
South Sudan celebrates preliminary referendum results – 99% vote for separation
SPLM/A oyeee
Rev John Khamis Kamunde
South Sudan celebrates preliminary referendum results – 99% vote for separation
Oh Lord Almighty our living God:
We the people of Southern Sudan do acknowlegde your devin suport for us as you have liberate us through our leaders,and by overwemingly direct us to vote for our independence.
May you give us the spirit of love,and unity among our selves so that we may be recieving your blessing.
Congratulation also to the entire beloved people of Southern Sudan for having such a wise decision.
May God lead us to build a new nation thanks.
Rev Kamunde.
Gatwech
South Sudan celebrates preliminary referendum results – 99% vote for separation
Ah!
I finally sign in relief that we are free at last through the exercise of the right of self-determination.
We have made it! We have done it! We are free at last through the power of the ballot box!
Chuker, don’t condemn our late leader Dr. John Garang so much. He had done his part, at least in what he believed in. He could be wrong from the beginning in 1983 in his vision of keeping Sudan united without without consulting with the people.
But he finally came to realize the need for self-determination and that is why after the coming together of SPLM/A factions (separatists and unionists) on 6th January 2002 in Nairobi, Kenya, immediately six months after the first protocol of CPA on self-determination was signed in Machakos by the renewed SPLM/A.
I personally thank John Garang for allowing self-determination vision to become a twin vision to united Sudan vision.
In the process, self-determination vision has won!
Phreaking words
South Sudan celebrates preliminary referendum results – 99% vote for separation
Deng,
You have commented as if you have a moving cloud/wind in your stomach you might be having stomach running of joyous occasion. Dr. John Garang was a visioned person not visionless with and his vision has now accomplished my those who began with him. not only a vision for New Sudan but also a vision for South Sudan.
DANDHEL
South Sudan celebrates preliminary referendum results – 99% vote for separation
Chuker!!! May you please leave your childish behavior aside and congratulate the people of South Sudan of what they have achieved…please let’s stop blaming and abusing game among ourselves …
People like you let Southern Sudanese people down and we don’t want people like you in our society..
Sudan virus
South Sudan celebrates preliminary referendum results – 99% vote for separation
Cheers!
A great event.
Thanks to the CPA partners special the Presidents Bashiir and Salva Kiir.
Thanks also goes to Khalili Ibrihim the chairman of the south Sudan Referendum commission,USA,IGAD,Arab world,European Union and some particular countries that shown high corncern on the self determination of south sudan, which has come to a success.
God bless you abundantly.
Garang Ngong
South Sudan celebrates preliminary referendum results – 99% vote for separation
Thank you President Kiir Mayardit for your patience since 2005 for not reponding for atrocities of Bashier untill we have reached final destination, we were longing to.
I congulate our southerners for joint work to Achieved our independent.
Nhomlawda
South Sudan celebrates preliminary referendum results – 99% vote for separation
Chuker,
It takes a fool less than three months to surrender to the enemy after falsily declaring his master guide insane and blind but a ressilent leader who was falsily accused as insane and blind waited until his rightful quests were given to him, his people, and his supporters.
John Garang vision of reforming Sudan with alternative of seperation of South Sudan if Sudan cannot be adequately reform earned him support and he succeeded in mobilizing weapons and supports and became a serious threat to Khartoum.
Anya nya 1 tried to fight for seperation and they failed miserably to the level of capturing girls in South Sudan and selling them to Congolese for light weapons.
As early as 1991, Riek Machar attempted to take a short cut and claimed to be fighting for seperation. He failed to get even a single bullet from anywhere and the option was to surrender to Khartoum seriously humiliated.
So with your foolish mine that tries to portray that John Garang was wrong is baseless. John Garang was indeed a clever man beyond reasonable doubt and without his tactics, South Sudan would have not been celebrating today.
But you people only understand things when they are gone, you have no ability to envision issues.
Wensi
South Sudan celebrates preliminary referendum results – 99% vote for separation
Chuker and Gatwech
Gentlemen, can you please answer me these simple questions?
Did Anya 1 make any single change in the South let alone the whole Sudan when the aim of their fighting was only for the South? Did they??? And please be straight forward.
Another question, did they get any backing and support of any country in the regions of Horn and greater Lake let alone non-African nations, did they???
Do you think the help that SPLA was getting from the outside would have been possible if the idea of fighting for the New Sudan (which literally means, a Sudan which will be different to the old Sudan) was not put as a preamble?
If you have really watched his videos, you can simply understand that he was not fighting to liberate the whole Sudan but for the SPLA to get support and help from the outside, and its agenda of liberating the south in the vacuum. What I could just read in your daily attacks on Dr. Garang’s idea of New Sudan Vision is may be you were not one of the SPLA soldier by then to listen to his occasional speeches he made, or maybe you are misguided by those thugs who defacted to Khartoum in 91 who were by then blinded and very thick in brain not to understanding what the SPLA was having in the vacuum.
You always claim that the stupid movement called SSIM whom Northern Masters helped you to form was the instrumental of the South Self-determination. I wonder why six years were spent in Khartoum without any action taken about self-determination until1997. To me, this means the master to who people joined was may be started to treat people badly, and that may be why you cooked your bloody thick minds up to formed that stupid movement (SSIM) in order to make you look like people on the course of something important (simply as you claimed it, SELF-DETERMINATION!!). I also wonder why SSIM was comprised up by only Naath (Nuer People) if it was fighting for the whole of south.
Gentlemen, you seemed to have a complete lack of understanding in the course in which Dr. Garang was fighting for the liberation of the country south. However, what I know so far about you is that, you both got tribal mannerism which I see will be hard for you to abolish it.
Gentlemen, this problem is really need an open face-to-face debate because you always try by any mean to alter the history by vilifying people who have passed away in the course of what we have now to enjoy and who have made it available to us who have left alive.