BREAKING NEWS: Sudan president and SPLM chairman resolve census row
April 13, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir and his First Vice President Salva Kiir agreed to resume the census process next week Al Jazeera television reported on Monday.
However it was not clear when or where the meeting took place. It was widely believed that Kiir was due to meet with Al-Bashir on Monday to settle the dispute triggered by the SPLM’s decision on Saturday to postpone the census in the South until year end.
“It was postponed,” South Sudanese Information Minister Gabriel Changson Chang told Reuters from Juba last Saturday. “There is a sizeable number of southern Sudanese in northern Sudan and if they are not transported to the south before the census it will affect the wealth sharing.”
Questions on ethnicity and religion were not included in the census questionnaire, contrary to the southern government’s wishes Chang said.
The SPLM also said that border demarcation process is not complete which prevents the south from adding people which will impact power sharing formula. Moreover the southern group said the war in Darfur will impede the conduct of census and as such will only be partial.
However Sudan’s former foreign minister and SPLM figure Dr. Lam Akol called on Southerners to take part in the census in a clear departure from the movement’s position.
Earlier today Sudan’s second Vice-President Ali Osman Taha accused some elements in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) of provoking a new political crisis before expressing his confidence that census crisis.
Taha, who was speaking in a press conference held on Sunday evening in Khartoum, said that these elements seek to bring down the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)
The Sudanese official said the crisis would be cleared up through consultation and coordination between the three members of the Sudanese presidency including Al-Bashir, Kiir and Taha.
“The Presidency is able to make a definitive decision as long as the parties have a common will,” Taha said.
The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) condemned the decision by the SPLM saying “it is not supported by any justifications or facts whether they be security or political”.
The NCP said in the statement they “regret the decision especially when money from Sudanese people money has been spent on a constitutional issue agreed upon by all sides”.
“All reports from the South confirmed that preparations for census were complete. This is not a surprising decision if you look at the prior positions by the SPLM towards the CPA” Obeid said.
The NCP official called on SPLM to “reverse its decision” before adding that they “see no reason for the census delay and hope that this cause elections to be held on time”.
The SPLM signed a peace deal in January 2005 with the government of the National Congress Party in January 2005 ending two decades of civil war in Southern Sudan. The peace deal made the SPLM, the ruling party in the south and the NCP the ruling party in the north.
In 2011, southerners will be asked to vote in a referendum on whether they want to be independent or remain part of Sudan. A census is supposed to prelude the elections but has stalled because of cash shortage and disagreement over the process.
(ST)
Paul
BREAKING NEWS: Sudan president and SPLM chairman resolve census row
Wow! I am getting sick in my stomach after reading the first two lines of this ridiculous and shameful news. What in the world is so scary in that republican palace of some few Islamic demagogues that make our Leader get too soft to the point that he can not stick to what was agreed for by the majority of Southern Sudanese. What does this giving in to El Beshiir tells the world about his leadership? This is frustrating and unacceptable.
Mabior Abun-deng de Mabior
BREAKING NEWS: Sudan president and SPLM chairman resolve census row
Mr. Paul
Don’t be upset or get sick about that rumuor, I call it rumour simply because it did not tell where and when was the meeting held. Mr. Mayardit can not betrayed his people to whom he is President as such. I’m quit convinced by the SPLM decision to suspend census till the questions on religion and ethnicity are included because it will exactly define the state of Sudan which is an Islamic and Arabs state (Middle East) according to the present regime in Khartoum. Also, if the the borders are not demarcated then you can not know exactly who are from the north and who are from the south in the neighbouring states of Upper Nile and white Nile in the north. I hope southerners are not that easy to be fooled.
JeNEsiZ
H.E Kiir Has to Be extra careful!!
They use this method when they see something not favouring them ahead…They are creating anything possible to obstruct the forthcoming referendum!…omitting ethnicity, religion column in the questioniare is a big question they should answer…they want to tell the world that we have one religion in Sudan…Islamic!!! and that is unbearable lie!!…
The issue of border demarcation has to be dealt with because our border with them will be anonymous!
They are like drowning in an ocean hence clutching at any thing that come their sight…
fellow Sudanese…Beware!
Samani
BREAKING NEWS: Sudan president and SPLM chairman resolve census row
The purpose of the census is to determine how many people are located in a certain area/province, to share the wealth fairly. Not to determine how many muslims, christians and races there are! I find it odd that people who claim they want equality no matter what your race or religion, are the same people asking for those differences to be emphasized. What if you do add those questions in the census what will it prove that we dont know already:
Sudan has a population current estimates range to 40 million. The population of metropolitan Khartoum (including Khartoum, Omdurman, and Khartoum North) is growing
rapidly and ranges from 8 to 10 million, including around two million displaced persons from the southern war
zone as well as western and eastern drought-affected areas.
Sudan has two distinct major cultures—Arabic-speaking Black Africans and non-Arabic speaking Black Africans—
with hundreds of ethnic and tribal divisions and language groups between them, which makes effective
collaboration among them a major problem.
The northern states cover most of the Sudan and include most of the urban centers. Most of the 30 million
Sudanese who live in this region are Arabic-speaking Muslims, though the majority also use a traditional non-
Arabic mother tongue (i.e., Nubian, Beja, Fur, Nuban, Ingessana, etc.) Among these are several distinct tribal
groups; the Kababish of northern Kordofan, a camel-raising people; the Ja’alin and Shaigiyya groups of settled
tribes along the rivers; the seminomadic Baggara of Kordofan and Darfur; the Hamitic Beja in the Red Sea area
and Nubians of the northern Nile areas, some of whom have been resettled on the Atbara River; and the Negroid
Nuba of southern Kordofan and Fur in the western reaches of the country.
The southern region has a population of around 10 million and a predominantly rural, subsistence economy. This
region has been negatively affected by war for all but 10 years of the independence period (1956), resulting in
serious neglect, lack of infrastructure development, and major destruction and displacement. More than 2 million
people have died, and more than 4 million are internally displaced persons or become refugees as a result of the
civil war and war-related impacts. Here the Sudanese practice mainly indigenous traditional beliefs, although
some practice Christianity, partly a result of Christian missionary efforts and partly a holdover from earlier
Christian Nubian civilizations. The south also contains many tribal groups and uses many more languages than in
the north. The Dinka (pop. est. more than 3 million) is the largest of the many Black African tribes of the Sudan.
Along with the Shilluk and the Nuer, they are among the Nilotic tribes. The Azande, Bor, and Jo Luo are “Sudanic”
tribes in the west, and the Acholi and Lotuhu live in the extreme south, extending into Uganda.
Why so negative then !! At least be fair in your judgments. As always you love arguing for the sake of argument.
It wasn’t too long ago when Yasir Arman said the SPLM wasn’t happy to wait for peace in Darfur to have the census, the SPLM then criticizes the government for being too slow and not paying money to hold the census. The day before the census the SPLM wants to cancel the it !!
Sudan has never and can never claim that it has one religion. Sudan was always known to be a diverse and deeply interracial country (a Mini-Africa), so where do you get those idea.
Daak Adut
BREAKING NEWS: Sudan president and SPLM chairman resolve census row
I am not impressed with the dicision made by the presidentcy to resume cencus on 22nd April, What was the reason an SPLM suspended census for and what should be resolve in seven days time. Please presidency resolve the issues at once don’t leave other part unresolve, it will cause more crisis later.
Toposa Boy southerner
BREAKING NEWS: Sudan president and SPLM chairman resolve census row
Shameful shameful to you Mr President
Our thinking is getting sick and sick and sick about your willingness to destroy people of southern Sudan you will not get away with this useless tactics
Deng Chol Malual
BREAKING NEWS: Sudan president and SPLM chairman resolve census row
In my opinion and according to the history of Sudan,this issue of playing with Southerners is not a new thing.
Therefore,I would rather suggest that the GOSS to continue to negotiate and let the international community be involve.
The war will come by its own as per the NCP anticipation and wishes.
Thanks
Deng Chol
Deng Magot Riem
BREAKING NEWS: Sudan president and SPLM chairman resolve census row
I am affraid, whatis behind Mr. GOSS presidents giving in to what he didn’t want to do. In fact if there are still southerner in the North who deserve counting, why can’t the govrnment understand that logic.
I heard mr Taha talking of the elements in the SPLM trying to bring down the CPA. Should this maybe Mr. Kiir’s fear of diverting the truth he is well aware of. If it is, then, who is the benfeiciary of the CPA? South, North or the Country at large? What the mouth speaks is what fils the heart. Therefore, Osman Taha’s statement must be taken seriously.
It has been the NCP as the world know which is ups and dwons trying in anyway possible to bring down the CPA since they signed what they didn’t expect to work but now claiming of being some elements in SPLM are at it. Khratuom miss calculated that lets sign it as Addis Ababa two agreement which turned out to be different one. Let Taha and the NCP know that CPA is alive because of the SPLM comintiment and this is true and will ever remained true.